Moose At Home In Post Falls

Post Falls is having a cow, and it’s all thanks to a moose.

A moose cow and her baby have moved into a neighborhood near Interstate 90 - turning a postman’s quiet dead-end street into a much-ogled wildlife preserve.

“They’ve even called to get directions,” says Joe Lenon, amazed. “People I don’t even know.”

It started Tuesday night when a mama moose and her calf climbed down from the snowy mountains. And when they did, what a spread they found at Lenon’s place.

Lilac bushes. Apple trees. “And I’ve got two large mud puddles they’ve been drinking out of,” Lenon says.

It’s moose heaven. At first, neighbors were happy to play host to the furry visitors. The big beasts seemed harmless enough.

People can walk within 25 yards of the mother, and she just stands there. She’s afraid only of cars.

“They’re pretty mellow,” Lenon says. “But they’re still wild animals.”

Especially when people approach the baby. Mom stands guard constantly. “Her ears are kind of wiggling and she’s watching,” Lenon says.

Ask neighbor Ward Shafer. He tried to chase the moose away when they were chewing on his shrubs. Mom’s retort? A stamp and a snort.

So far, there have been no casualties - save the shrubs. And the mental health of a neighbor’s pint-sized pooch.

One evening, the woman was watching television. Suddenly, a big, brown-eyed moose mug appeared in her window.

“It scared her little dog to death,” Lenon says, chuckling. “She has a little tiny dog, and it wet itself.”

The moose routine starts about 7 p.m. They awaken and loiter about, milling from house to house. Their big athletic event is the occasional fence-jumping. During the day, they sleep alongside the road or at Shafer’s place, nestled in his pines.

Neighbors called the state Fish and Game Department for advice and were told the moose are just exercising their inalienable animal rights.

“They’re free to roam wherever they want to as long as they’re not causing bodily harm,” Shafer says.

But now, the novelty is wearing off for some. Saturday, folks were driving by and snapping pictures. Lenon’s sleepy street has become a spectacle. He wants the moose to get a move on - back to the mountains.

“We’ll just leave ‘em be and hope they leave … sometime.”

, DataTimes