'He charged me': Moose attacks jogger in Dieppe
A Dieppe man is reeling after being attacked by a moose while jogging last Friday.
Thirty-four-year-old Paul Gallant, an avid runner, was out on the waterfront trail, when he saw a moose facing him 20 metres away.
"He was standing right in the middle of the trail," Gallant said.
"I stopped running, figured I'd take a step back. Every time I took a step back, he took a step toward me. And he's got longer legs, so he's gaining distance."
Gallant said the moose was eventually fewer than 10 metres away, still facing him.
Finding a strategy to get away wasn't working, so Gallant attempted to escape the moose's sight by going into a ditch by the side of the trail.
That didn't work either.
"He wasn't moving but his eye was following me. It was so freaky. His eyes were full of red veins, and he was looking at me like it was the end of the world … like I was going to hurt him."
Gallant walked in the ditch a short distance and managed to pass the moose without it moving.
He began walking away and thought his troubles were behind him. But he was wrong.
The moose turned around and started walking after Gallant, who soon found himself face to face with the animal.
Things went downhill fast after that.
"He charged me. I screamed as loud as I could. He stopped, then he charged again a second time."
The moose charged Gallant a total of three times, hitting him in the jaw and face with its head.
Gallant ended up on the ground.
Some people living in the area witnessed the incident and called 911.
Gallant ended up with a bruised lip, a broken vein, a bump on his forehead and scratches all over his body. He said his body was also sore from wrestling with the animal.
Still, he considers himself lucky. He said the moose's antlers missed his face just by an inch.
"If I got hit by that antler, with that force — that was going through my head," he said.
Paramedics told Gallant they didn't think he suffered a concussion either.
Right time of year
Nicolas Lecomte, a researcher at the University of Moncton, isn't completely surprised to hear about the attack.
He said it's not unusual for a moose to come near the city this time of year. They also tend to be aggressive because it's mating season.
"These are males that are really full of hormones," Lecomte said. "If you happened to come into this type of area, they will see you as a threat, or even a competitor. You can be mistaken by them as another moose."
Lecomte's advice? Run away if you come face to face with a moose.
He said wearing bright clothes and making noise also helps.
But moose attacks are extremely rare.
A couple of incidents were reported recently in Newfoundland, but the New Brunswick's Department of Energy and Resource Development said this was the first confrontation it has heard about in this province.
