Moose in Manito Park pond provides hours of entertainment, draws onlookers into the heat
Jul. 16—On the hottest day of the year so far, Manito Park's water features provided reprieve to park visitors of multiple species escaping Sunday's 97-degree heat.
In the pond at Manito Park, a moose waded in small circles, standing neck-deep in the murky water, head poking out like a periscope. Its enormous ears appeared to have a life of their own, pointing in each direction like the hands of a clock as it paced the floor of the pond.
The moose spent over five hours in the pond on Sunday, amusing patrons of all ages.
Its presence generated a ring of moose paparazzi around the pond, with onlookers pointing cellphones and professional cameras at the creature.
Some turned their heads as they passed by and stopped to briefly rubberneck before heading on their way. Others, like Heather Dazell and Geri McIntire, devoted their whole day to moose-watch.
"Well, I had other plans," Dazell said. "Pickleball, go mountain biking, maybe hit the gym."
"I just don't hear about moose swimming in ponds," McIntire said. "I kinda figure I won't ever get to see a moose in the pond again in my lifetime."
The pair had been at the park for four hours with no intention of leaving. They asked Siri for moose facts, ogling affectionately at the creature and disagreeing on whether to name it "Morty" or "Marty."
"I think he's soaking up the stardom," Dazell said, eyeing the other Morty/Marty fans across the pond.
Spokanites regularly see moose patrolling neighborhoods on land. A waterlogged moose like this one isn't so common.
"It's definitely a rare occurrence," said Taryn Tubiolo, who heard of the moose on Facebook and wanted to come see it for herself with her children in tow.
The family planned to beat the heat at an air-conditioned movie theater, but a broken projector led them to Plan B.
"This is better than a movie," said Tubiolo's daughter Hanna. "It's more real."
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife gets almost daily reports of moose near humans in Spokane's surrounding areas, typically as "nuisance reports," according to their website. Moose range from 600-1,100 pounds. Due to their size, the department classifies moose as dangerous wildlife.
Spokane Parks officials outlined a boundary using traffic cones and erected signs urging parkgoers to "give the moose space" on one portion of the pond's border, should it need an escape route.
Some patrons were worried for the moose's sake. Payton Boone said the moose's breathing seemed to be getting slower as the day progressed. She worried that it was stuck in the pond and called 911 to report the moose.
Another family dismounted their tandem bicycle to marvel at the beast.
"Mommy, can I go swimming?" a girl asked, squatting at the pond's edge, wanting to take a page out of the moose's playbook.
"No you may not, because it is disgusting," responded her mother, unclipping her helmet.
On the other end of Manito park, families cooled off at the park's splash pad.
The adjacent dry play structures were vacant while a dozen kids frolicked through the fountain and tried to catch the water in plastic bags. Kids squealed while their guardians sprawled out on blankets and picnic chairs occupying each inch of shade surrounding the splash pad.
Cameron Harrington's two kids were among those cooling off in the springs. The family is new to Spokane, just moving from New Mexico.
"We're used to the weather, just not the shade," Harrington said, standing under a tree. "We stay as long we can before we have to reapply sunscreen."
Fire danger Monday
Sunday's heat will be replaced by cooler temperatures and strengthening winds on Monday.
A red flag warning was issued by the National Weather Service for much of Central and Eastern Washington from 9 a.m. through 11 p.m. on Monday. Sustained winds of between 15 mph and 25 mph are possible, with gusts as high as 40 mph.
The arrival of a cold front will cause temperatures to plummet closer to seasonal averages throughout the Inland Northwest, with high temperatures expected in the mid- to lower-80s.
While Sunday marked the third straight day of 90-degree temperatures in Spokane and topped out at 97 degrees at Spokane International Airport, the heat wasn't close to record-breaking. The record-high temperature on July 16 is 104 degrees, set in 1941, according to the National Weather Service.
Spokane still has not reached triple digits this year. After Monday's cooldown, however, daytime temperatures are expected once again to reach the upper 90s by Thursday and last through next weekend.
Elena Perry's work is funded in part by members of the Spokane community via the Community Journalism and Civic Engagement Fund. This story can be republished by other organizations for free under a Creative Commons license. For more information on this, please contact our newspaper's managing editor.
