In The NoCo

How to survive an encounter with an aggressive moose

By In The NoCo,

Published June 27, 2025 at 7:07 AM MDT

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A bull moose lifts his front legs high to jump over a pine fence in the forest. — With three moose attacks in three days, officials are giving advice on how to stay safe when venturing out into moose country.

A few weeks back, Colorado saw three moose attacks on people in just three days. The incidents were reported in the Coloradoan.

The attacks left three people injured. One of the incidents led to a cow moose being shot in self-defense, and her calf being euthanized.

So, as more people head out to hike in the state’s moose territory this summer, we wondered: What are you supposed to do if you encounter an aggressive moose? And how do you avoid a moose attack in the first place?

Bridget O’Rourke who is a Public Information Officer with Colorado Parks and Wildlife. She spoke with host Erin O’Toole about how to be safe around moose – and what makes them such dangerous animals.

A woman with long hair smiles at the camera as she stand out in the wilderness. — Bridget O'Rourke is the Public Information Officer for Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

In The NoCo

KUNC's In The NoCo is a daily slice of stories, news, people and issues. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show brings context and insight to the stories of the day, often elevating unheard voices in the process. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we celebrate the lighter side of things here, too.

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Ariel Lavery

Ariel Lavery grew up in Louisville, Colorado and has returned to the Front Range after spending over 25 years moving around the country. She co-created the podcast Middle of Everywhere for WKMS, Murray State University’s NPR member station, and won Public Media Journalism awards in every season she produced for Middle of Everywhere. Her most recent series project is "The Burn Scar", published with The Modern West podcast. In it, she chronicles two years of her family’s financial and emotional struggle following the loss of her childhood home in the Marshall Fire.

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Erin O'Toole

As the host of KUNC’s new program and podcast In the NoCo, I work closely with our producers and reporters to bring context and diverse perspectives to the important issues of the day. Northern Colorado is such a diverse and growing region, brimming with history, culture, music, education, civic engagement, and amazing outdoor recreation. I love finding the stories and voices that reflect what makes NoCo such an extraordinary place to live.

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Brad Turner

Brad Turner is an executive producer in KUNC's newsroom. He manages the podcast team that makes In The NoCo, which also airs weekdays in Morning Edition and All Things Considered. His work as a podcaster and journalist has appeared on NPR's Weekend Edition, NPR Music, the PBS Newshour, Colorado Public Radio, MTV Online, the Denver Post, Boulder's Daily Camera, and the Longmont Times-Call.

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