Colorado is home to plenty of amazing wildlife, offering ample opportunities to respectfully and responsibly observe these animals in their natural habitat. A certain big game species is particular, however, is non-native, but it also happens to be one of the most sought after animal sightings of local adventurers.

According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), moose first inhabited Colorado in the 1850s when they meandered into northern Colorado from Wyoming. These moose, however were just passing through and didn’t establish a stable breeding population in the Centennial State.

The effort to establish a local population ramped up a century later though, when during the 1960s and early 1970s, CPW began the process of introducing moose to Colorado. In 1978, CPW moved 24 moose from Utah and Wyoming to Colorado’s North Park region near Walden as the state’s first moose reintroduction. Over the next decades CPW continued to transport moose from Wyoming and Utah to Colorado.

By 2012, the reintroduction program had created a breeding population of about 2,300 moose in Colorado.

Today, more than 3,000 moose call Colorado home, and the state has one of the fastest growing populations of moose in the lower 48 states.

Moose can mostly be found in North Park and on the Grand Mesa in Colorado, but they have broadened their habitat to most of the state’s mountainous regions – sometimes even popping up in more urbanized areas along I-25. The mammals normally live in forested areas close to lakes and marshes.

Be warned – if you happen to stumble on a moose in Colorado, exercise extreme caution. Back away from the animal and give it distance, as moose can be very aggressive – especially when dogs are present. If a moose happens to charge, seek cover behind a large object like a tree, rock, or vehicle.

Learn more about living with moose from Colorado Parks and Wildlife here.