The Moose Are Loose! Why Autumn Is the Perfect Time to See Moose in Gdańsk
- ladybirdnaturetour
- 17 hours ago
- 7 min read
Updated: 32 minutes ago
Last week, we had one of those wildlife encounters that reminds us why we love taking people out on Sobieszewo Island.
Our guests had actually come to us mainly for the birds. We were out exploring the island, watching and listening for some of our feathered residents, when we came across something considerably larger.
A moose, or, Łoś (pronounced phonetically in English roughly as "wosh").
They were understandably rather pleased about the unexpected addition to the species list!
“ We had a wonderful time exploring Sobieszewo Island. Ryan was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic, he really knows his stuff! To top it off we saw not one but two moose!! which really made our day. ”
✪✪✪✪✪ Anna H - August 2026
It seemed like a good excuse to talk a little more about one of our favourite and perhaps most misunderstood residents of Sobieszewo Island: the moose.
So, are Polish moose dangerous?
If you've ever heard stories about moose, you could be forgiven for thinking they're rather terrifying.
And, to be fair, they are enormous.
A fully grown moose can weigh several hundred kilograms, stand well over two metres tall and look rather intimidating when you suddenly discover one standing between the trees.
But moose aren't predators, and they aren't wandering around Polish forests looking for people to attack. Most of the time, a moose that is left alone will happily carry on browsing, wandering and doing very moose-like things without paying much attention to us.
That doesn't mean we should treat them like oversized cows, though.
Moose are powerful wild animals and absolutely deserve our respect. A female with a calf can be particularly defensive, while males can become more unpredictable during the autumn rut. A wounded animal can also be dangerous.
The good news is that direct attacks on people are unusual.
Alaska provides an interesting comparison because people there encounter moose far more frequently. In the Anchorage area alone, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game estimates that more than 100 people are charged by moose each year. Many of these are warning or "bluff" charges, and around 5–10 people are injured each year.
So yes, a moose can absolutely hurt you.
But no, it's not hiding behind a tree waiting for an unsuspecting tourist.
Give it space, don't approach it and pay attention to its behaviour. If it becomes agitated, back away and give it an escape route.
This is also the advice of Mateusz Ciechanowski, a biologist at the University of Gdańsk, who was interviewed about Poland's growing moose population by Worldcrunch. His message was refreshingly straightforward: a moose isn't looking for trouble if you leave it alone. The danger comes when people decide that a large wild animal would probably enjoy having them wander closer for a photograph.
In other words, don't be the problem.
The moose you really need to watch out for
Interestingly, if you're travelling around Poland, the moose you probably need to be most careful around isn't the one you encounter on foot.
It's the one you encounter from behind the steering wheel.
Moose can wander onto roads with remarkably little concern for traffic, and a collision with an animal weighing several hundred kilograms can be extremely serious.
If you're driving through moose country, particularly around dawn and dusk or in poor visibility, slow down and keep an eye on the roadside.
If you see a road sign warning you about moose, take it seriously.
The moose isn't going to understand the speed limit, or who has the right of way.
Why are there moose on Sobieszewo Island?
Sobieszewo Island (Wyspa Sobieszewska) is a rather special place for wildlife.
The island has forests, wetlands, reedbeds and plenty of quieter areas where large mammals can find food and shelter. And, as it turns out, moose are rather fond of wet places.
They are excellent swimmers and can even dive underwater to feed on aquatic vegetation. Ciechanowski told Worldcrunch that moose can dive to around a metre below the water's surface.
Being an island also helps keep our local moose population relatively contained.
Moose do occasionally wander across one of the bridges and off onto the mainland, but most stay here.
There are also no large predators regularly hunting moose on the island, which means the local population has been able to increase.
So yes, there really are moose living on an island just outside Gdańsk!
And that's one of the many things we love about this area. You don't have to travel deep into the Polish wilderness to have the chance of seeing a genuinely impressive wild mammal.
Poland's moose are making a comeback
The story of Poland's moose is actually a fascinating conservation success.
Moose once occurred across much of Europe, but centuries of hunting gradually reduced their numbers. The loss and drainage of wetlands also had a major impact because moose are particularly well adapted to marshy, wet habitats.
In Poland, things became even worse during the Second World War. Poland's moose population was hit particularly hard and only the population around the Biebrza marshes in north-eastern Poland survived.
Fortunately, the story doesn't end there.
Protection allowed the population to recover, and a hunting moratorium introduced in 2001 helped numbers continue to increase.
And increase they certainly have.
The latest Polish forestry statistics record 45,655 moose in Poland in March 2025, compared with 30,557 in 2020 and just 18,573 in 2015.
That's a remarkable recovery.
Ciechanowski described Poland's moose recovery as a rare example of genuine conservation success, and it's a particularly interesting one because we're now seeing these animals returning to places where people live and spend their holidays.
Including here.
Following the evidence
One of the most enjoyable parts of looking for moose isn't necessarily finding the animal itself. It's finding the evidence that tells you one has been there.
Moose leave enormous tracks, often much larger and broader than those of roe deer. And when we say enormous, we really do mean it.
This moose track in the sand gives you a pretty good idea of just how surprisingly large their feet can be.
In soft sand, mud or forest paths, you can sometimes follow a trail and work out where an animal has been feeding or moving. Look closely and you may also find browsing signs, droppings, broken vegetation and other clues that help build up a picture of what has been happening in the area.
And this is where having a guide who knows the area can make a real difference.
Ryan knows the spots where moose are regularly seen and the habitats they favour. He also knows how to read the signs they leave behind and, when conditions are right, follow a promising trail.
If you're specifically hoping to see a moose, rather than simply wandering around hoping one happens to appear, that local knowledge can be invaluable.
And if the encounter unexpectedly turns sour, Ryan is considerably larger than most of us, so you can always hide behind him.
We're joking, of course. Mostly...
The important thing is that a good wildlife guide isn't there to get you dangerously close to an animal. They're there to help you understand what you're seeing, find wildlife without disturbing it and know when it's time to give an animal more space.
You don't need to get close to get a great view
One of the best things about looking for moose is that you can have an incredible encounter without getting anywhere near the animal.
A good pair of binoculars can give you a surprisingly detailed view of a moose browsing amongst the trees, while a camera with a decent zoom lens can bring the animal much closer in your photographs
We're there to watch the moose, not interfere with it.
And there is something rather magical about standing quietly at the edge of the forest, binoculars raised, watching a huge wild animal completely absorbed in its breakfast.
Why autumn is a great time to see moose in Gdańsk
If you're hoping to see a moose in Poland, the coming autumn is a particularly good time to visit as we run our Moose trail tours from September through to November.
September and October bring the rut, when moose become more active and males are moving around in search of females. It can make encounters particularly exciting, although it's also another reason to give these enormous animals plenty of space.
And autumn in Poland can be a lovely time to visit Gdańsk.
The intense summer heat has usually eased, the forests are beginning to change colour and the big summer crowds have gone. With schools back in session, flights and accommodation can also be considerably cheaper than during the height of summer.
So if you're considering a city break to Gdańsk this Autumn, it's a particularly good time to combine the city with some wildlife watching.
Spend a morning exploring Gdańsk, head out onto Sobieszewo Island and see what the forest has in store.
You might come for the birds.
You might come hoping for a moose.
And if you're very lucky, you might get both.
Come looking for moose with us
We can't promise you a moose. Wildlife, unfortunately, doesn't take bookings.
What we can do is take you into the places where moose are known to spend time, look for fresh tracks and feeding signs, follow trails when appropriate and use Ryan's local knowledge to give you the best possible chance of finding one.
You don't need to be an experienced wildlife watcher either. Bring your camera, your binoculars if you have them (if you don't we'll loan you a pair), and we'll do the rest.
And if the moose decide not to cooperate?
Well, that's wildlife.
You might come looking for a moose and spend the morning watching birds instead. Or perhaps tracking deer, spotting raptors or discovering something else entirely.
But if a huge brown shape suddenly appears between the trees, quietly feeding and completely unconcerned by your presence...
That's the moment you'll remember.
Just like our guests did last week.
The moose are loose.
And this autumn, we're going looking for them.
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