EAGLE COUNTY — Colorado State Patrol is aware that there is a moose hanging out along the side of Interstate 70 in the area between Vail and Avon known as Dowd Junction.

They say the best thing they can do for the animal right now is to leave it alone, and let it find its way out of the area.

Ivan Alvarado with Colorado State Patrol said on Sunday the moose has found a temporary habitat in an area between two wildlife fences near the mile marker 171 eastbound exit, and it has been there for a week or more.

“It’s not injured or anything like that, it just refuses to leave,” Alvarado said. “Apparently there is a wildlife off-ramp that it could take, but it has not chosen to take it.”

Alvarado said Colorado State Patrol has received a number of calls about the moose, and Colorado Parks & Wildlife has confirmed that the proper course is to leave the animal alone. The animal appeared calm on Sunday and could be seen munching on trees in the area, which is near U.S. National Forest land.

“Unless it starts to harm itself or anything like that, then we’re really just going to leave it there because it’s too dangerous to try to force it to do something that it doesn’t want to, when it’s not being injured,” Alvarado said. “If (Colorado Parks & Wildlife) believes that it’s really not a hazard or anything like that, then they’re just going to let it be, for now.”