Amid the normal flurry of activity on the Green yesterday morning, students were surprised to find special visitor running through campus. A moose.
A moose ran through the West side of campus Thursday morning, tracing a path from the Green to Occom Pond and running through a building at the Tuck School of Business before disappearing into a wooded area by Occom Pond, putting the lives of several students in jeopardy.
According to the reports of witnesses, the moose was first seen around 10:40 on the Green. It ran in circles around the Green before crossing North Main Street in front of the Collis Center.
At 10:42, a call came in to Safety and Security about a moose on Sanborn Lane headed for the cemetery behind the Tucker Foundation.
It reemerged on Tuck Drive, where it was spotted by grounds crews working outside. The moose reportedly ran through a small covered walkway connecting Tuck Hall and Woodbury Residence Hall, out the other side and down a set of stairs into the woods.
The moose then crossed Old Tuck Drive and Webster Avenue, according to Safety and Security Officer Rebel Roberts, who responded to the call. She tracked the moose to Occom Ridge Road, where is was also spotted by several residents. The moose then disappeared again into a wooded area running towards the Connecticut River.
Hooman Poor '03 was riding his bike home from Physical Education registration when he saw the moose on the Green.
"It was loose on the Green for about 20 seconds. Then it ran into the road and then it started chasing me on my bike," Poor said.
The moose lost interest in him, then ran down past Robinson and into the side of South Massachusetts residence hall before vanishing into the cemetery behind the Tucker Foundation, Poor said.
Allegra Love '03 was on the Green studying when she saw a moose headed towards her.
"He was about 10 feet from me charging," Love said.
She said when the moose was nearing her, it tripped and stumbled.
"He just tumbled about two feet from me," she said.
Although no one was hurt in the incident, there are some safety concerns when moose are running through populated areas.
"It is a concern of ours because moose in certain seasons will turn around and charge people," Roberts said.
Roberts said that there are periodic reports of moose on the Dartmouth campus. Usually when Safety and Security responds to a moose incident, they just keep people away from the animal and it finds its way back to its natural habitat.