Find a moose, find a moose! Majestic mammal is seen for the first time in Washington’s Mount Rainier National Park — 350 miles south of where they are typically found
- Park rangers saw the first-ever moose walking through the snow on Washington’s Mount Rainier
- Moose are a priority species, which means they need special conservation techniques to protect them
- “We are very happy about this sighting!” Park officials said in their post
- As of 2015, there were an estimated 5,000 moose in Washington, mostly in the Selkirk Mountains more than 350 miles north of Mount Rainier
Park Service rangers recorded the first-ever moose sighting in Washington’s Mount Rainier National Park on Thursday.
The animal was walking alone through the snow along Sunrise Road, and park officials shared a photo of the mammal on Facebook.
Moose are considered a priority species by Washington’s Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), which means they need special conservation techniques to protect them.
This conservation is required because of a species’ population status, sensitivity to habitat change, and/or recreational, tribal, or commercial importance.
Park Service rangers recorded the first-ever moose sighting in Washington’s Mount Rainier National Park on Thursday
According to the WDFW, there were an estimated 5,000 moose in Washington in 2015, most of them in the Selkirk Mountains — more than 350 miles north of Mount Rainier.
“This is the first recorded moose sighting in Mount Rainier National Park and southwest Washington,” the caption reads.
“Yes, I know that’s a lot of exclamation points, but we’re really excited about this sighting!”
There are smaller moose populations in the Northern Cascades, Okanogan and Blue Mountains.
Moose tend to be solitary animals, but they can sometimes travel in small groups during the winter if they share favorable habitat.
Officials in the Post also wondered if this newly spotted moose could be the same one seen in August near where I-90 went under for wildlife at Resort Creek.
This location is about 250 miles from the area near Mount Rainier.
However, moose have expanded their geographic range in some states, but most areas include cold winters with snow cover — thanks in part to their large bodies, which prefer temperatures below 60 degrees Fahrenheit in summer and below 32 degrees in winter.
Moose are dark brown and long-legged with massive shoulders that reach nearly two meters in length when adult.
They have prominent muzzles with an overhanging upper lip and a large flap of skin covered with hair hanging below the throat called a “bell”.
Washington’s elk belong to a subspecies called “Shiras” elk, which is physically smaller than elk living in the north.
Bulls, the males, weigh between 850 and 1,100 pounds and adult females or cows weigh between 600 and 800 pounds.
Their antler spread ranges from 35 to 45 inches and rarely exceeds 55 inches in diameter.
Known outside of North America as elk, the majestic mammals feed on large amounts of leaves, bugs, twigs, and aquatic plants.
The animal walked alone through the snow along Sunrise Road in Mount Rainier National Park (above) and park officials shared a photo of the mammal on Facebook