Man Climbs Tree to Escape Aggressive Moose

A man taking an evening stroll in an Alberta neighborhood ended up climbing a tree to avoid an aggressive bull moose, and he filmed the encounter.

David Meredith said when he spotted the moose, he hid behind a tree to watch, but the moose noticed him.

"He ended up doing a bluff charge," Meredith told CTV News. "So I took that opportunity to scream like a little girl and run up that tree."

He added, "I really didn't have anywhere to go."

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Once high in the tree and out of reach of the moose, Meredith pulled out his phone and started recording.

Instead of moving along, the agitated moose started charging back and forth and using its antlers to rustle tree branches.

"He was grunting and had every intention to trample me by the looks of things," Meredith said.

"It was quite intimidating," he told CTV news Edmonton. "The photos don't do it justice of how close it felt."

Meredith stayed in the tree for 10 to 15 minutes until the moose finally left the area.

Meredith says he goes for evening walks around the same time every day and often sees wildlife. He says the animal sightings have become more common since the pandemic.

"With everybody shut down and not doing anything, it seems like the animals moved into town."

Doug Evans, a Red Deer city park planner, says moose are often spotted in the area, but they usually aren't aggressive.

"This one is a bit unpredictable," Evans said, while acknowledging aggressive behavior is more common during the rut. "It's not something we normally see."

"These are circumstances that can happen," Evans said. "If there's something you can put between the animal and you to protect you, that's always the first instinct."

He said Meredith did the right thing by climbing the tree.

"If the animal gets more aggressive and you have to climb a tree or scale a fence, that's what you need to do."

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