Moose in Chest-Deep Snow Runs Past Skiers in Gaspésie, Quebec

A moose ploughs through chest-deep powder beside a group of skiers, its back and head bobbing above the snow while its legs disappear with every stride. The short clip, "Trapped moose running past us", was filmed in Gaspésie, Quebec, and uploaded to YouTube by accrho bob.

The moose video from Gaspésie

The film is short and simple: the skiers stand still and keep filming as the moose labours past, sinking deep on each step and lunging forward again. It shows something hikers and skiers rarely see up close, the sheer effort a big animal needs to cross a deep winter snowpack.

Watch it on YouTube: Trapped moose running past us.

How moose cope with deep snow

The moose is the largest member of the deer family. Adult bulls usually weigh 380 to 700 kilograms and stand 1.4 to 2.1 metres at the shoulder. Those long legs help in snow, and their hooves splay under load, spreading their weight to limit sinking into soft ground.

Even so, deep snow is hard work. Moose tend to avoid it because it slows them down, and they also avoid open, bare ground where wolves can catch them more easily. In winter they live mostly on branches, twigs and bark, browsing in sheltered woodland where the snow is shallower. A skier glides on long boards that spread their weight; a moose has to lift each leg clear of the snow, which is why the animal in the clip looks so heavy and slow.

Gaspésie: mountains, snow and wildlife

The Gaspé Peninsula lies on the south shore of the St Lawrence in eastern Quebec. Its highlands are part of the Canadian Appalachians: the Chic-Choc Mountains stretch for about 95 kilometres and include eleven summits above 1,000 metres, and nearby Mont Jacques-Cartier, at 1,270 metres, is the highest Appalachian peak in Canada.

Parc national de la Gaspésie protects about 800 square kilometres of these mountains, with long, cold winters and some of the wettest highlands in Quebec. Moose are common, so common that the park has a moose management plan to protect forest regeneration. The park is also the last refuge of the Atlantic-Gaspésie woodland caribou, an endangered herd of only a few dozen animals.

What to do if you meet a moose on the trail

Moose are not usually aggressive, but they will charge when they feel harassed, startled or threatened, especially by dogs, cows with calves and bulls in the autumn rut. They injure more people than any other wild mammal except the hippo. Give them plenty of room:

• Stop, stay calm and let the moose choose its route; never block its path or follow it.
• Watch for warning signs: ears laid back, a lowered head and raised hackles mean a charge may be coming.
• Keep dogs on a lead and well back.
• If a moose charges, get behind a tree or other solid object.

For more snow and wildlife encounters, see a separate moose-and-dog encounter and a smaller animal moving into snow for food.

Related reading

• A Wolverine Digs Through Snow in America the Wild
• Polar Bears and Dogs in a FirstScience Film Excerpt
• Samsung’s EcoBubble Bear Advert in a Snowy Setting
• The BBC’s Snowball Cam Meets Svalbard Polar Bears
• Japanese Snow Monkeys Bathing in Hot Springs

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