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In the NoCo

An encounter with a moose can be dangerous. Here’s how to stay safe on the trail

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

People in Colorado have found themselves in the middle of some nasty encounters with moose in recent weeks.

A moose attacked a woman last weekend in Steamboat Springs. The woman was airlifted to the hospital with serious injuries. Wildlife officials say the moose was likely trying to protect its two calves. And that incident came on the heels of other moose encounters that left people injured near Fairplay and Grand Lake, the Denver Post reported.

Around this time last year, In The NoCo’s Erin O’Toole talked about this with Bridget O'Rourke – who’s a public information officer with Colorado Parks and Wildlife. And we’re revisiting that interview today. They spoke after several moose encounters that happened in summer 2025. Here’s Bridget offering Erin some advice on how to be safe around moose -- and explaining what makes them dangerous .

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

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.
As the host of KUNC’s news 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.
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.