By Kashmira Gander
Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
As a forestry technician, there's not much in the Canadian woods that can shock Denis Levesque—but even he was taken aback by the sight of a pair of dueling bull moose.
Levesque, a keen hunter from Val-d'Amour, encountered the bull moose on a woodland road in northern New Brunswick, CBC News reported.
Footage captured by Levesque shows the animals hoofing the ground, encircling each other and violently clashing horns. After around 10 minutes, the creatures dash into the woods, and Levesque appears to chase after them.
Read More on Science
The forestry technician told CBC the moose appeared to have antlers spanning 50 inches and described them as "pretty heavy" in appearance.
"I've never seen something like that, and I'm always in the woods," he said.
Levesque shared the 10-minute video on Facebook, where it received more than 1,500 likes and was viewed over 494,000 times.
The hunter shot the video as moose mating season, lasting from late August to mid-October, winds down.
...
Related: Ugliest animal ever? Denver zoo's newborn endangered aye-aye lemur prompts debate
While Levesque managed to capture some stunning footage, approaching moose as they are rutting is not advised. The Wildlife Ecology department at the University of Wisconsin warns that invading a moose's personal space can be dangerous for both animals and humans.
"Moose will stand their ground more often and for longer than any other large ungulate. They have been known to take on trains, as well as cars and aircraft," the website warns.
However, moose attacks against humans most commonly occur when a cow, or female moose, is protecting her calf, or when the creatures mistake us for upright grizzly bears.
And they won't attack humans to feed. Moose, the largest members of the deer family, are herbivores and prefer nibbling on deciduous shrubs, as well conifers like fir and yew trees.
In waterways in the summer, the moose's huge muzzle enables the animal to poke its head underwater and gorge on vegetation in the shallows of lakes and streams.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines