Moose chases hikers off a Park City trail

Park City | March 15, 2016

Jay Hamburger THE PARK RECORD

A moose chased several hikers off a trail in Park City on Saturday, the Park City Police Department said, indicating in department logs that the moose was seen on a ski run and at one point had "a male pinned down."

The case was reported at 6:51 a.m. on the 800 block of Empire Avenue. Phil Kirk, a police captain, said several hikers with a dog encountered the moose. Kirk said the hikers escaped from the moose by retreating into a tree well, which is the space between the bottom of a tree trunk and the surrounding snow.

"They were pinned in there for several minutes," Kirk said.

They climbed out of the tree well and left after the moose ambled away. Kirk said they were not injured.

In a case involving three people, meanwhile, reported at 5:21 p.m. on Monday, March 7, a man and two kids were seen nearing a young moose. The police were told the man was filming the moose on a smartphone. The report was logged on the 1500 block of Snow Creek Drive.

The other cases included:

on Thursday, March 10 at 7:36 p.m., two young moose were seen ambling up a sidewalk on the 1400 block of Kearns Boulevard. They were moving toward Monitor Drive, the police were told.

on March 10 at 7:35 a.m., at least two moose were seen somewhere along Park Avenue grazing on trees. The moose "were not aggressive despite several civilians getting very close and taking pictures," police logs said.

on Wednesday, March 9 at 4:14 p.m., a young moose appeared to be "lost and confused" at or close to the intersection of Little Kate Road and Monitor Drive. A police officer who responded did not find the moose, according to department logs.

on Tuesday, March 8 at 1:30 p.m., two moose were seen on the 1700 block of Park Avenue. They were moving southward, the police said.

Moose sightings are occasionally reported to the Police Department. The police and wildlife officials say people should not approach moose. The Police Department said the younger moose seen recently could be the offspring of a cow moose killed in a collision with a vehicle on S.R. 224 in early March.