Two juvenile moose were taken out of the Arbour Lake neighborhood in northwest Calgary by Alberta Fish and Wildlife following an incident where one of the moose calves kicked a resident’s dog. The altercation occurred when the resident unknowingly let their dogs into the backyard where the two moose calves, a male and a female each around 1.5 years old, were present. The Fish and Wildlife spokesperson stated that one dog suffered minor injuries after being kicked by a moose calf.
The removal of the moose took place with the assistance of the Calgary Fire Department, and they were later released near the Harold Creek wildlife corridor northwest of Cochrane. A similar incident involving a mother and calf pair happened in January, leading to the relocation of those two moose from Scenic Acres in northwest Calgary to the same wildlife corridor.
Wildlife biologist Sara Jordan-McLachlan, who specializes in studying human-wildlife conflicts in Calgary, highlighted that moose sightings are common in natural areas such as Fish Creek Provincial Park, Weaselhead Flats, and certain suburbs in the northwest and southwest. Moose are known to live and breed within Calgary’s city limits, with some also using wildlife corridors in the Tsuut’ina Nation and surrounding areas to move in and out of the city.
According to data from iNaturalist, over 300 moose sightings have been reported in Calgary and its vicinity since 2020. The Miistakis Institute’s Calgary Connect wildlife monitoring program revealed that remote cameras spotted 242 moose within the city between 2017 and 2022, a small fraction compared to the 31,040 deer species detections.
Jordan-McLachlan cautioned against interacting with moose of any age or gender, advising people to avoid approaching them and to keep dogs leashed. In case of an encounter, she recommends leaving the area and giving the moose as much space as possible. The monitoring program indicated that moose activity in the city peaks from 6-9 p.m. and is least active from midnight to 4 a.m.