Moose it or lose it!
A popular upstate New York hiking trail has been closed for more than a month due to a stubborn bull moose refusing to move.
State officials had no choice but to shutter Goodman Mountain Trailhead in Tupper Lake on June 6 after the large animal set up camp near the summit of the 1.5-mile-long path — and has since shown no signs of budging, according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
“The same moose continues to reside on or near the trail and continues to demonstrate unusual behaviors,” DEC officials said in a press release.
“It is suspected that this moose may have an underlying illness influencing behavior as it continues to remain on or near the trail and is not responsive to attempts to move it off the trail.”
Officials said the herculean beast, which can weigh up to 1,200 pounds and stand at a towering six-feet, has shown no signs of aggression — but can become dangerous when approached too closely.
Hikers first spotted the colossal moose back in May along the trail in Horseshoe Lake Wild Forest.
“He didn’t both anybody,” Martha Quilliam told Times Union, adding that she returned to the trail two weeks later on May 30 only to find the land mammal in the same spot.
“He was curious, more than anything.”
Environmental conservation staff opted days later to keep narrow summit off-limits following failed attempts to get the moose to take a hike. Rangers are now reportedly stationed at the path’s entrance to turn people away until it is deemed safe again.
While moose sightings in the Adirondack Park are common during May and June, one staying put for this long is highly unusual, DEC wildlife biologist Jim Stickles told the outlet.
“By the time hikers see the moose, they are often in the immediate vicinity of, and potentially too close to, the animal,” he warned.
“Adult moose are large, wild animals, and they do not always show fear of people. People often mistake this behavior as the animal being tame, and approach too closely.”
The government agency reported roughly 600-700 moose sightings in the Adirondack region in 2018.
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