Moose attacks woman near Glenwood Springs

The victim was taken to a local hospital and later that same night transported by helicopter to another hospital on the Front Range due to the extent of her injuries and care required.

The woman, who was dog-sitting for one of the tenants living at the house, had seen a cow moose and its two calves in the yard earlier in the day. When the woman no longer saw the moose in the area later that evening and believed it to be safe, she took the dog out on a leash in the yard.

That is when the attack occurred. Another resident of the house then observed the cow stomping on the victim.

“The incident occurred in an area of quality moose habitat and it is known that the moose frequent this area year-round,” said Area Wildlife Manager Matt Yamashita. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the woman. This incident was no fault of her own. Conflicts with moose can happen, even when you follow best practices for living in moose habitat.”

The cow and its two calves have reportedly been in the area for an extended period of time without incident. No previous aggressive behavior was reported.

Wildlife officers searched for the cow moose and its calves for several days.

Discussions with neighbors revealed that there are several sets of cows with calves in the area, making it challenging to locate the animal involved in the attack. Wildlife officers have now discontinued the search for the moose involved in the attack.

“This likely was an incident of a cow protecting her calves,” Yamashita said. “Since Friday night we have been talking with the local residents to educate them about living in moose habitat, the potential dangers associated with interacting with moose and actions they can take to minimize the risk of conflict.”

There have been other moose-human incidents this year.

On Aug. 7, a man walking toward a lake in Clear Creek County was charged by a bull moose and avoided injury when he dived behind a tree, which the bull moose rammed.

On May 29 in Steamboat Springs, a man was knocked over and stomped by a cow moose with two calves. The victim stated that his small dog was outside unleashed when he heard it start barking and realized there was a moose in the area. He stepped forward to grab the dog and that is when the moose charged at him. The man suffered minor injuries.

Back in March 2006, a man from Grand Lake was attacked and critically injured by a bull moose as he walked to church, and later died from his injures.