Footage of a “terrifying” and “massive” bull moose walking along an Alaskan highway has resurfaced online and has amassed thousands of views.
The video, originally from 2018, was shared in Reddit’s “Oddly Terrifying” forum on Wednesday by u/Significant-Ad-1655, who wrote: “I had no idea moose could be this big, maybe the size of a horse or a deer but this… .” The post has received more than 19,000 upvotes and over 930 comments from stunned Redditors.
The video was filmed by a man in Anchorage, Alaska, according to LADbible. Upon spotting the moose walking along the highway’s median, the man drove up beside the creature and said hello—a move that many commenters cautioned against.
“Hey there, bud,” he said. “Hey there…you gonna send it? Yeah?”
Christian Svensson/istock
The man shouts at the moose for a total of 10 seconds, but the moose ignores him. Once it’s clear the moose wants nothing to do with him, the man drives off, leaving the moose to go about its evening.
“Later, dude,” he yelled before turning off the camera.
Speaking to LADbible, the man said he wanted to film the moose so that “the world [could bask] in his awe.”
Commenting on the video, one Redditor said the moose looked “massive,” while another said it looked “majestic.”
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) has said that the state is home to approximately 175,000 to 200,000 moose, “each of which can weigh up to 1,600 pounds.” Though they are not “normally aggressive,” moose will attack people.
For example, a moose held a woman hostage and “trampled” her sled dogs in an attack that lasted nearly an hour in February. In March, an Idaho man and his dog were charged by a moose while on a hike.
“Moose are not normally aggressive; however, they can become aggressive when they are harassed by people, dogs, and traffic, or when hungry and tired, especially in winter when they must walk through deep snow,” the ADFG said on its website. “Each moose has a different tolerance level, but if they are harassed enough, many moose will respond aggressively.”
With all this in mind, many Redditors argued that the man should have left the moose alone.
“This is terrifying. I would not be driving that slowly and recording so casually. Like…it obviously can f**k you up it’s just choosing not to. It’s like a land hippo,” said u/Mchaitea.
“The last [thing] you want to do is [say] ‘Hey there bud’ to a friggin moose, they’re fun to look at, they are extremely strong, they get near you and you are done for,” wrote u/TheGreyWanderer530.
“Don’t f**k with the moose!” exclaimed u/Dangerous_Low2588, to which u/AmountCreepy1199 responded: “I wouldn’t even be going that slow next to it. That thing is bigger than the car and they are known to go wild. One thing scares that moose the wrong way and that car is getting f**ked.”