Home is where the mother moose and her calves are.
That’s at least how it worked out for this house in Alberta, Canada. A trio of moose bedding down in someone’s yard might seem wild, but in the land of our northern neighbor, moose are quite common. Canada is actually home to the largest moose population in the entire world.
It’s believed that somewhere around 830,000 moose live in The Great White North, and some estimate it to be closer to 1,000,000.
In case you didn’t know, moose are the largest of all deer in the deer family, and their height and weight might surprise you. Males are typically bigger than females, but both are still larger than you might think. On average, bull moose usually stand at 6 feet tall at their shoulders, and can even weigh up to 1,400 pounds. Translation: if they lay down in your yard, they might leave a mark.
This mother moose must have wondered into this Calgary neighborhood looking for safe haven for herself and her little ones. Fortunately for them (and maybe unfortunately for this homeowner), they found exactly that in the form of someone’s lawn. They weren’t exactly camouflage, but I’ll tell you what… the chances of a hunter looking to bag and tag a moose in the suburbs is slim to none.
Sometimes outdoor videos go viral because there’s high-stakes, Animal Kingdom action. This is an exception, and a beautiful one at that. This mother moose and her little ones – who usually stay with their mother for about a year – were doing absolutely nothing, and seemed to be having a great time.
Something tells me they’ll make a note of this spot and they’ll make sure to revisit from time to time:
The definition of “just chillin’.”
I’d love to be as unbothered as that moose mother and her little ones. I guess a sight like this is just something you come to expect – or at least not be surprised by – if you live in moose country. There were plenty of witty observations in the comment section like these:
“I thought having squirrels come into my garden was exciting.”
“Brings a whole other meaning to ‘Moose Lodge.'”
“Imagine just rolling home with your groceries and seeing this?”
“Some natural lawn decorations.”
“It’s hunting season. They’re not stupid.”
And according to one user on Instagram, the front yard lounge session was actually fueled by full stomachs. Someone in the comments claimed that it was their parents house in the footage (guess we’ll believe them?), and that the moose had feasted on some nearby trees prior to settling in for a group nap:
“This is my parents’ house! My parents were away during this time but the neighbors were sending photos. The moose family feasted on their trees, had a sleepover on the lawn, left and came back the next day for one more night. When my parents returned home they had some lovely moose (crap) left for them on their front steps as a souvenir.”
Hard to verify if that’s true, but I sure hope it is. It’s as if the moose family left a parting gift thanking the owners for letting them utilize their property. Which is fitting, because it sounds like they really made the most of their stay.
