NEDERLAND – A 69-year-old man is recovering after a cow moose attacked him on a ranch in northern Colorado.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials say the man, whose name and condition have not been released, was working near thick willow brush on a property outside of Nederland when the moose attacked him Thursday morning. He was taken to a hospital in Boulder.

Kristin Cannon, a CPW wildlife manager, says “does and cows can be aggressive when their fawns and calves are newborn and very vulnerable to predation.” Witnesses reported seeing the moose with a calf recently.

Wildlife officials say the attack does not appear to have been instigated by irresponsible behavior.