Reader has close encounter with moose

Sara Purvis snapped photos of a young moose being petted on the side of Highway 69 at Burwash over the long weekend.

Purvis and her husband had taken their children to see the abandoned jail in Burwash, but the road was blocked off.

“As we pulled out of the dirt road to Burwash, we saw many cars on the side of the road,” she wrote in an e-mail to NorthernLife.ca.

“My husband spotted a moose and said, 'Pull over.' As we walked closer we realized a man was able to walk right up to the moose and pet it.

“I can count on one hand the amount of times I have seen a moose on the side of the highway, but I don't think any one of us will ever be able to say this has happened to us again.

“A few more people walked up to the moose and it seemed to welcome every one who came along. There were about 30 people who had all stopped at the same time as us, and even with such an audience the moose was not afraid. “

Purvis said that perhaps the moose had lost its mother, and was unsure of what to do next.