A moose was spotted for the first time in Mount Rainier National Park Thursday, according to the National Park Service.
This is also the first moose spotted in southwestern Washington, the park service said. Previously, the farthest south a moose was seen in southwest Washington was just west of Stevens Pass in 2009, according to the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).
In August, a moose was spotted on the I-90 wildlife undercrossing at Resort Creek, which is just southwest of Snoqualmie Pass. Another moose sighting was reported in the same area in September. The National Park Service speculated the moose spotted near Mount Rainier could be the same one.
As of 2015, there were an estimated 5,000 moose living in Washington state. Most live in the Selkirk Mountains in Pend Oreille, Stevens, Ferry and Spokane counties with smaller numbers living in the north Cascades, Okanogan and the Blue Mountains, according to the WDFW.
Moose have been known to wander farther south on the east side of the state, including into the high desert of the Columbia Basin. Generally, moose prefer forested habitat with lakes, marshes and other wetlands.
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