Two juvenile moose were relocated from Arbour Lake in northwest Calgary by Alberta Fish and Wildlife following an incident where one of the moose kicked a resident’s dog on Monday evening. The moose, identified as a male and female calf each around 1.5 years old, were present in the backyard when the resident’s dogs were let out unknowingly, resulting in minor injuries to one of the dogs from a calf’s kick. The Calgary Fire Department assisted in the successful removal of the moose on Tuesday, and they were released near the Harold Creek wildlife corridor northwest of Cochrane.
This action mirrors a previous occurrence in January involving a mother moose and her calf, which were also relocated from Scenic Acres in northwest Calgary to the same wildlife corridor after the mother moose bluff charged a dogwalker who came between her and the calf.
Wildlife biologist Sara Jordan-McLachlan, specializing in human-wildlife conflict in Calgary, highlighted that moose sightings are common in natural habitats like Fish Creek Provincial Park, Weaselhead Flats, and certain suburbs in the northwest and southwest. Moose are known to inhabit these forested and wetland areas more than urban settings. Calgary hosts resident moose that breed within the city boundaries, alongside transient moose using wildlife corridors in Tsuut’ina Nation and neighboring regions.
Over 300 moose sightings have been reported in Calgary and its vicinity since 2020, as per iNaturalist, a platform for tracking wildlife observations. The Miistakis Institute’s Calgary Connect program recorded 242 moose through remote cameras from 2017 to 2022, a fraction of the total deer species detections.
Moose exhibit the highest interaction with human activities among Calgary’s wildlife species, as per the latest report from the Miistakis Institute. This behavior indicates that moose do not actively avoid human frequented areas compared to other wildlife. Jordan-McLachlan cautioned against engaging with moose of any age or gender, emphasizing the importance of maintaining distance and leashing dogs to prevent encounters.
The wildlife monitoring program by the Miistakis Institute revealed that moose activity peaks between 6-9 p.m. and decreases from midnight to 4 a.m., urging caution and respect for these animals during all encounters.
