Moose Spotted in Winchester

A moose was seen along a road in Winchester.

It’s not terribly common to see a moose in Connecticut and Winchester police are urging people not to approach a moose, or any other wild animal.

If you do see one and want to take a photo, they urge drivers to pull their vehicle off the road and not stop in the middle of a street.

According to the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, it’s not clear if moose were ever native to the state.

The history of moose sightings in Connecticut goes back to the early 1900s when there were sporadic reports.

Between 1992 and 1999, there were an average of six sightings per year, with most in the northern part of the state in the spring and fall, according to DEEP, and the Wildlife Division was receiving about 60 sightings reports a year by 2007.

The DEEP website said the state’s moose population is estimated at just over 100.

Learn more about moose in Connecticut here.

If you see one, you can report a moose sighting here.