No Tourists Attacked Or Killed When Moose Goes To The Movies In Alaska

Unlike what seems to be the norm in the Lower 48, no one was injured or killed when a moose entered a movie theatre in Kenai, Alaska. As opposed to what frequently happens in Yellowstone, no one attempted to pet or ride the wild animal.

JO
Jimmy Orr

April 23, 20232 min read

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(Cowboy State Daily Staff)

The Rocky Mountain states can be a lot like Alaska in that there are lower populations of people but higher populations of wildlife.

So in Wyoming and these other states, it’s not uncommon to have wildlife entering human structures. Last month, there was a moose which toured the oil refinery in Sinclair, Wyoming, for example. 

And then there are the continuing stories of bears or other animals in cars, houses, stores, and last Wednesday, a movie theatre.

A moose decided to go to the Kenai Cinemas in Kenai, Alaska and went straight for the snack bar, singling out popcorn as his treat of choice.

“Our popcorn had him enticed,” Kenai Cinemas General Manager Ricky Black told Alaska’s KTUU TV station. “He was pretty focused on that. I guess he was tired of eating bark for the winter.”

Another thing common in most of these states, except Colorado, is residents — not tourists — usually know how to handle the situation. You don’t attempt to pet the animals for example.

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In the security cam video, the employee behind the snack bar calmly filmed the moose chomping on popcorn. 

The wild animal only stuck around for five minutes. The TV station reported that after finishing off the popcorn, he got his nose stuck inside a McDonald’s Happy Meal box. After that, the moose was done.

The theatre isn’t encouraging animals to attend the movies, the door was just left open for some fresh air.

As for the employees, they enjoyed it.

“We both think this is just so awesome,” Black told the TV station, “because we’re both just kind of fascinated with moose in general.”

This isn’t how most of these stories go. Earlier this month, a drunken Colorado man was attacked by a moose after trying to touch it.

Then there was the Canadian, a year ago, who nearly got the life stomped out of him when trying to pet and/or ride a moose.

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Authors

JO

Jimmy Orr

Executive Editor

A third-generation Wyomingite, Jimmy Orr is the executive editor and co-founder of Cowboy State Daily.