Moose acting weird and refusing to leave NY trail leads to weeks-long closure
A hiking trail in the Adirondack Mountains in New York has been closed for weeks after a big bull moose acting unusually refused to leave, wildlife officials said.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation visited the trail on Goodman Mountain earlier in July to check on the moose and found that it “continues to reside on or near the trail and continues to demonstrate unusual behaviors,” the agency said in a July 11 news release.
Wildlife officials didn’t elaborate on the unusual behavior, but said they believe an underlying illness might be influencing it. The moose “continues to remain on or near the trail and is not responsive to attempts to move it off the trail.”
“This is very unusual behavior,” Dave Kramer, an agency research scientist, told WRGB. “Typically at this time of year, moose will have moved down into the lower elevations where they’re primarily browsing on aquatic vegetation.”
Because of officials’ observations and the terrain on the trail, the DEC is keeping the trail closed “to protect the moose and ensure public safety in the event of a close encounter with the public.”
“Moose are large animals, and while no signs of aggression have been observed, moose can be dangerous if approached too closely,” officials said in the release.
Wildlife officials will continue to monitor the situation, and rangers will actively enforce the closure until the agency reopens it. In the meantime, hikers should heed the signage at trailheads and access points and “seek alternative hiking destinations in the region.”
Goodman Mountain is about a 155-mile drive northeast from Syracuse.
