Moose licking salt off car had 'kind eyes,' says Banff couple
Alberta government has issued car-licking moose warning in southern Alberta
A Banff couple had a front row seat to an unusual wildlife encounter this week.
They got to watch a moose give their truck a saliva bath.
Theresa Malan and her husband were driving through Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, about 130 kilometres west of Calgary, when they spotted the bull licking salt off another vehicle parked on the road.
The pair decided to pull over and start filming.
"It was a very Canadian experience," said Malan, whose husband is from South Africa.
"This is his first year as a permanent resident and he was pretty blown away."
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The moose then meandered over to the couple's truck and starting licking away. The encounter lasted "a good 30 to 45 minutes," Malan said.
"You could feel his antlers brushing up against the truck."
Car-licking moose warning
The Alberta government issued a warning on Tuesday about car-licking moose, advising anyone heading out to the Chester Lake and Burstall Pass parking lots to sound their horn if an animal approaches their vehicle.
Alberta Parks is also asking people to report any aggressive moose encounters, however, Malan said their moose was "very gentle."
"He was so placid and so chill and he just had very kind eyes. He didn't have any aggression within him at all," she said.
Malan says they never intended for the moose to lick their car.
"He came to us," she said. "We're pretty mindful of the wildlife in the area so we wouldn't have continued had we not felt safe."