Moose Interrupts Police Roll Call in 'Once in a Lifetime' Visit

Roll call at the Anchorage Airport Police and Fire Department in Alaska, was interrupted on Friday morning by an unusual visitor.

Photos of the visiting moose were shared on the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport police station's Facebook page, in a post that has received hundreds of likes and comments.

"We had an unexpected visitor join roll call earlier this week," ANC Police and Fire said in the post.

"The visitor obviously caused a pause in official business," Steven Heilman, community outreach and recruitment corporal for the ANC Police and Fire, told Newsweek.

Anchorage is located in south-central Alaska on the banks of the Knik Arm region of the Gulf of Alaska. Moose are "abundant" in the Anchorage Bowl, with roughly 200 to 300 moose in the area year-round and roughly 700 to 1,000 in the winter, according to the Alaska Fish and Game Department. These winter moose come in from adjacent areas like Fort Richardson and the eastern mountains in Chugach State Park.

"It is very common to see moose in the Anchorage area, and throughout Alaska," Heilman said. "Although we are a city of approximately 300,000 people, our city is home to hundreds of moose as well [...] it's a frequent occurrence for Anchorage residents to find a moose snacking on a tree in their front yard."

Heilman said that moose are often seen in the surrounding patrol area of the Anchorage International Airport, and occasionally around the station itself. Even so, one Facebook user described this as a "once in a lifetime" encounter.

The animals are mostly concentrated in state parks, greenways and undeveloped open space, although they often wander out into the surrounding suburban neighborhoods. Indeed, the Anchorage town mascot is a moose named Seymour. However, moose may also provide a hazard, particularly during the winter months.

Individual moose can become aggressive when they are stressed or protecting their young or territory. The Fish and Game Department said that human-moose encounters become particularly problematic when people feed the moose or harass them with snowballs.

"Moose typically do not pose a threat to humans unless they feel threatened," Heilman said. "They typically ignore people, however the most threatening moose is a mother with calf—mother moose will be very defensive and more aggressive than normal."

Bull moose are also particularly aggressive and territorial during the fall breeding season.

"Stay safe by giving moose space and letting them pass by if you're sharing a trail with them," Heilman said. "If a moose knows you're there (don't sneak up on them) it can be safe to stand and watch them from a safe distance. Again, the exception to this being a mother moose with calf. The young calf can be curious and unpredictable, and the mother keeps a close eye. You WILL be seen as a danger to the calf, so the mother moose may charge and/or kick to defend her young. Avoid being anywhere near a mother with calf and clear the area for them."

Update 11/22/23, 04:35 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include comment from the ANC Police and Fire Service.