Wild Moose Spotted By Side Of Connecticut Road

WINSTED, CT — Winchester police were in the right place at the right time this week when they managed to catch on camera a wild moose hanging out and taking a stroll down Winsted's Main Street.

"It's not every day you see a wild moose hanging out by the side of the road," Winchester police wrote on Facebook.

Police were initially called to the area after the moose caused a slight traffic jam. Cars meandered to see him while others stopped completely, police told the Connecticut Post. However, traffic cleared by the time police arrived.

Police shared the photo and used it as an opportunity to remind drivers never to stop and approach wildlife.

"Also, if you are going to stop to look or take a photo, pull your vehicle off the road, do not stop in the middle of the road, no matter what the speed limit is," police wrote.

This moose wasn't the first in Connecticut to have his likeness captured on camera. In fact, a photograph taken by a resident of Ashford in September 1956 was considered the first official photograph recording the presence of moose in the state, according to the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

The next moose wasn't spotted until 1984. Sporadic sightings continued through the early 1990s. Between 1992 and 1999, moose sightings increased to about 6 per year, mainly in the northern portion of the state during spring and fall.

By 2007, the state's wildlife division received about 60 reports of sightings per year and documented 19 moose-vehicle collisions.

The moose population in Connecticut today is estimated at just over 100.