You think your neighbours are animals?

A family near Espanola has made a new friend, who seems to have no intentions of leaving any time soon.

Jim and Sue Sutinen were first visited by a young moose cow, who they have dubbed “Millie” last August and the animal has since taken up residence near their home on Penage Lake Road.

The couple contacted the Ministry of Natural Resources with concerns that perhaps the moose was sick and had been abandoned by its mother.

“They (MNR) don't really seem to know how it ended up here and they thought that it would eventually leave once the ice came,” said Sue Sutinen.

“It just hasn't left yet though, she keeps coming back and we see her pretty much every day.”

The Sutinens are cautious not to feed Millie or entice her to stick around, but Sue says that the animal has become pretty comfortable around people and has no issue walking up and down the property, snacking on trees and plants.

“She's not afraid of people or machines or anything like that,” said Sutinen.

“The only issue is that we have dogs so we have to make sure to keep them tied up when they're outside so that they're not a nuisance to one another.”

The MNR does not remove animals unless it is causing real safety concerns or exhibiting signs of illness such as brainworm.

“The MNR doesn't get involved and will let the moose carry on with its life,” said Heather Pridham, issues management coordinator, MNR.

“If the moose is on private property the land owner is free to take action to try to scare the moose away. It's also advised to keep pets like dogs tied up.”