ARVADA, Colo. — Van Bibber Park in Arvada was closed Wednesday as wildlife officers monitored a bull moose in the area, Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) said.
Jeffco Open Space tweeted at 6:19 p.m. that the park was closed while CPW kept track of the moose, and at 10:33 a.m. on Thursday they tweeted the park was back open.
Josh Apple, who lives near the intersection of West 64th Avenue and Deframe Street, captured the bull moose on camera when it came by his home.
While it was very rare to see moose in Colorado until about 20 years ago, CPW said the state's population of nearly 3,000 is now thriving after successful reintroduction efforts by the agency.
Moose are very protective of their territory and young, and the presence of dogs are also a major catalyst for serious moose conflicts. Moose react to dogs the same as they would wolves, who are among their primary predators, by trying to crush them with their hooves.
Since 2013, CPW says there have been at least 15 moose conflicts resulting in minor to serious injuries to people, and only two did not involve a dog.
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