One of the cutest things
in Alaska is a baby moose. But standing very close-by is the most
dangerous animal in Alaska; its mom.
Moose moms can weigh-in at as much as 1200 lbs. Moose in Alaska
usually give birth to twins and, at least in Homer, they are usually born from
mid-May to early June. Moose moms have babies every two years. A few weeks before they give birth, the mother moose chases off her two year old(s); usually by then she only has one calf left. So in April and May there are often a lot of confused and unhappy teenaged moose running around.
Moose give birth in a
place they feel safe. This used to mean
in the middle of a pond or bog, but now that location is often in the middle of
someone’s yard, a town park, or even (according to one story) a Walmart parking
lot.