Winter in Alaska can bring challenges for both humans and their animal friends. And learning how to keep pets warm and stay away from wildlife is important, according to local officials.
Migrating into the cleared areas of town and plowed roadways offers moose respite from the deep snow. And with this migration, the chance of vehicle-moose collisions goes way up., and there have been a reported 145 killed in collisions and salvaged since July 2022, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
It’s important to ensure there are no moose in the area before letting your pet out, according to Herrman, even if the area is fenced in. Moose can weigh over 1,000 pounds, meaning a lot of barriers can easily keep a pet in, but may not keep moose out.Lt. Ryan Browning from the Homer Police Department said it’s important to keep pets from having those kinds of encounters. He said relying solely on a pet’s training is not realistic when wildlife is involved.