There’s a moose on the loose in Pine Plains

PINE PLAINS — Hoffman Road resident Kyle Sundberg got a surprise message on Tuesday, May 18, when a friend sent a photo of a young bull moose sauntering around the marshy grounds of his backyard in the morning hours. When Sundberg peered out the window to take a look for himself, he was out of luck. But he staked out the scene throughout the day, and by that evening the young moose had returned.

Out came Sundberg’s camera; he snapped a number of shots of the magnificent moose — not an everyday sight in the Harlem Valley. 

The moose, which is a protected animal in New York State, according to the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), “is the largest member of the deer family (Cervidae), and the largest land mammal in New York State. Bulls weigh from 600 to 1,200 pounds and stand up to 6 feet tall at the shoulder.” Their primary predator is the black bear.

Sundberg’s sister, Laura Holmes, lives in neighboring Stanfordville but works in the Pine Plains Post Office. She said she’s never seen a moose in all her years growing up and living in the Hudson Valley — many of those years spent residing in Pine Plains. She stopped by her brother’s house that evening.

“No, I never thought we’d be spotting a moose,” she said. “It’s great to see. Other people saw it in town, too… My brother saw it in person. He was very excited. He was so excited you can’t believe it.”

Holmes has been handling most of the publicity, sharing Sundberg’s photos on social media and with friends and neighbors. In two day’s time photos of the young moose have been viewed more than 3,500 times online, she said.

“I had no idea this would happen; I thought I’d share a couple pictures with a couple of people; now it’s out of hand.”

Out of hand, possibly. But exciting? Definitely.

“It’s really, really cool to see a moose,” said Homes. “Everyone is so excited to see it. It’s really rare around here.”

For more information on moose in the Empire State, go to the DEC’s website at www.dec.ny.gov/animals/6964. There is also a link to report moose sightings at that address, to assist in the creation of a moose management plan for New York.