This Red Deer man escaped a charging moose by climbing a tree
A Red Deer man met an unlikely four-legged foe while walking through his neighbourhood.
During a recent evening stroll through his southeast community, Anders on the Lake, David Meredith noticed an adult moose.
Curious, he hid behind a tree and watched, but not for long.
"He ended up doing a bluff charge," Meredith recounted during an interview with 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."
Once he was off the ground and safer in the branches of the tree, Meredith pulled out his phone and started recording.
He assumed the animal would move along, but instead it 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 estimated he stayed in the tree for 10 to 15 minutes before the moose finally ran away.
Red Deer resident David Meredith points up at the tree he climbed after encountering an aggressive moose while walking in his neighbourhood, Anders on the Lake.
MOOSE SIGHTINGS COMMON, AGGRESSION LESS SO
Meredith has lived in the same neighbourhood for 22 years and has always gone for evening walks at around the same time.
"You see the occasional rabbit, deer. Lots of ducks," he said, adding that 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, said moose sightings are relatively common for the area – but the aggression Meredith encountered isn't.
"This one is a bit unpredictable," Evans said, noting aggression is more common during rutting season. "It's not something we normally see."
Doug Evans, a Red Deer city park planner, said moose sightings are relatively common in Red Deer, but the aggression David Meredith encountered isn't.
He believes the moose simply got spooked.
"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 handled the encounter well.
"If the animal gets more aggressive and you have to climb a tree or scale a fence, that's what you need to do."
'JUST LET THEM BE'
Although a little spooked himself, Meredith doesn't plan on stopping his walks, but he did issue a reminder to fellow park users.
"These large game coming through the cities are wild animals, no matter what you do or talk to them or keep your distance, or whatever – they can cover a lot of ground quite quickly, as the video shows.
"I think just let them be and take your photos from a distance and let them do their thing. I don't think their intentions are to hurt us by any means. Just don't provoke them and don't give them a reason to feel intimidated. Live with them, I guess."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Teacher shortages see some Ontario high school students awarded perfect grades on midterm exams
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Doctors combine a pig kidney transplant and a heart device in a bid to extend woman's life
Doctors have transplanted a pig kidney into a New Jersey woman who was near death, part of a dramatic pair of surgeries that also stabilized her failing heart.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.