People Caught Illegally Feeding, Petting Some Moose In Colorado

Wildlife officials in Colorado are reminding the public not to feed or pet animals after they learned a couple of moose got food from locals.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) had to remove a female cow moose and her yearling from the front of a Grand Lakes restaurant recently, a Twitter post reads. Officers claim some people were getting "dangerously close" to the creatures and even feeding them.

“Caution and common sense go a long way in preventing injury or death to humans and wildlife,” CPW said.

They also cited a separate incident, where they found an abandoned yearling laying down in front of some businesses at the Grand Lakes Boardwalk. Officers say locals were feeding and petting the young moose. Because she was too comfortable around humans, they decided to relocate the yearling to a remote area.

"We can't stress this enough. Moose, especially calves, are not pets," the agency tweeted. "Not only is it illegal to feed and touch wildlife, but it's also dangerous for you and them."

CPW explained that a moose's digestive system cannot handle human food. On top of that, people tend to fend them things that don't naturally occur in their diets, such as carrots, birdseed, hay, or salt blocks. Officers warn these actions can lead to the moose's illness or death.