NEDERLAND, Colo. (KDVR) – A pregnant woman who was being attacked by a moose fought to save her husband on a hiking trail near Nederland on Wednesday.
The couple was photographed while in a hospital room following the life-threatening surprise encounter with a moose.
Elizabeth tried to help her husband Fernand as the attack unfolded along a hiking trail outside Nederland on Wednesday.
The 31-year-old mother-to-be said they’d only been on the trail for a few minutes when the encounter took place.
“We tried to leave right away with our dogs, Lenny and Moshi,” Elizabeth said, but it was too late. “I heard my husband screaming behind me. He had fallen to the ground and the moose was stomping him and he screamed that he couldn’t use his leg.”
Elizabeth said not knowing what else to do, she tried to help her husband and save him by shouting at the moose.
Lenny, the dog, distracted the moose and gave Elizabeth time to pull her husband behind a tree so they could hide.
While running away, Elizabeth fell to the ground and cut her. In a picture, blood could be seen running down her leg.
It was determined that Fernand’s knee had sustained some broken bones and ACL injuries.
There was another attack at about the same time that morning. The same moose had turned it into a spree, hurting another woman in the process.
It had head-butted her legs as she was training for a half marathon.
Veronica Byers said the moose came around a blind corner mid-trot.
“I immediately went eyes down and started backing away. (The cow moose) almost went without hesitation maybe for half a second she charged me directly,” Byers said.
Byers screamed for help thinking the moose would come back, and that’s when a person passing by came to her call and helped her to safety.
Shortly thereafter, she heard emergency crews arriving to help Fernand and Elizabeth who called 911.
The cow moose was put down after she charged at emergency workers and the calf was captured Wednesday evening by CPW workers.
Its chance of survival is uncertain at this point. The 2 to 3-day-old calf may not be able to survive without its mother’s milk.
Elizabeth is just 10 weeks from her due date and had contractions, but thankfully the baby is OK.
Both her dogs are OK too.