Just another day in Smithers, B.C.
One witness was at the town’s airport when she noticed a baby moose roaming near, stomping its hooves on foliage outside the terminal before sneaking a peek through the building’s doors.
Anges Pion, the airport worker who took the photo, told The Huffington Post Canada it was the first time she’s seen a moose on airport grounds — despite them being regularly spotted in the area.
“With the lake right across the airport and the wildlife around , it is a nice place to go to work,” she said.
Smithers Mayor Taylor Bachrach shared photos of the animal spotting on Tuesday, joking that the airport’s modernized terminal will feature “North America’s first moose paddock and ungulate-only entrance.”
Pion said she's happy the photos have made people smile.
Photos of the candid moose moment prompted locals to make wisecracks about another large beast that has already claimed the small airport as his turf.
“Great! He's probably been looking through the window and wondering why we let a big bear inside but have such a clear no-moose policy,” wrote Heather Raven Tuite.
The Smithers airport is home to a stuffed grizzly bear encased in a glass display — a local legend named Hungry Hill “Phantom” who gained notoriety by killing upwards of 30 head of cattle.
Close encounters of the alces alces kind are a popular source of lore in this northwestern part of the province where moose run-ins are common.
In 2013, a moose snacking on feed outside a Smithers Safeway shocked shoppers when he eventually entered the grocery store. Before the animal could skedaddle away, it was tranquilized by conservation officers and eventually died while being relocated.
Conservation officers said the animal died after a tick infestation had severely weakened its health.
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