Unexpected visitor: female moose drops in on Fort Simpson, N.W.T.

A female moose may still be on the loose in Fort Simpson, N.W.T.

Officials with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources say a pregnant cow was first spotted in town at the end of April and has been creating a lot of buzz around the community.

"It's been attracting a lot of attention through social media, in particular Facebook, so pretty much the whole community is aware of the cow moose," wildlife officer Carl Lafferty told CBC on Thursday.

The cow has been spotted in several backyards in Fort Simpson and running down back roads. Martina Norwegian spotted it when she was out walking her dog a couple weeks ago.

"I couldn't believe it when I saw it and I thought: 'you've got to be kidding' and of course I didn't have my camera," Norwegian says.

"I've heard of bears coming into town but I've never seen or heard of a moose coming to town."

Lafferty believes the cow may be staying in the town because she sees it as a safe place.

"We've had a lot of reports of wolves in and around the community. We think she might have been on the run and that's why she maybe chose to hang close to town. A lot of noise here and wolves don't usually come to town."

The last reported sighting was on Sunday evening. Lafferty and another wildlife officer received a report that she was hanging out at the Fort Simpson campground.

"We were getting concerned because if it's not leaving it's going to attract attention, which it did," Lafferty says.

"But then we saw her slowly laying down so that kind of told us: 'well geez, I wonder if she's gonna have that calf right then and there.'"

He hopes the cow has given birth and taken her calf outside of town limits.

Community protective of new visitor

Both Lafferty and Norwegian say town residents are quite protective of the moose.

"One individual was reportedly shooting at it with a slingshot. A lady that was nearby was quick to act and asked him to get out of the area and to leave her alone," Lafferty says.

"A lot of people are looking out for it and just curious. It really is beautiful," Norwegian says.

While it may be beautiful, Lafferty warns residents to give the cow some space and to not approach her or her calf.

He says he's had to warn people who were only a few metres from the cow, trying to take a close-up photo.

"If you're in that close you're never gonna make it back to your vehicle! She'll stomp you."

People in Fort Simpson are asked to call their local wildlife office at 1-867-695-7433 if they see the cow or calf.