Be prepared for sudden, moose-related stops if you are in Anchorage, Alaska.
There aren’t many things in this life more frustrating than traffic. Personally, it drives me nuts to be heading to my destination only to be stuck in standstill gridlock. It happens a lot where I live (Nashville, Tennessee), but for a much different reason than traffic buildups in the U.S.’s most northern state.
If I’m going to sit in traffic, I’d much rather be held up by a moseying moose.
This video out of Anchorage (the most populous city in Alaska) shows how a commute can be disrupted by wildlife in the area. At first, it appears that a slow-moving car is at fault for the backup. But it quickly becomes apparent that the car up front has only slowed because there’s a sizable moose walking down the middle of the road and setting the pace.
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, though both genders are hefty. On average, bull moose usually stand at 6 feet tall at their shoulders, and can even weigh up to 1,400 pounds. Cows are a bit less in both departments.
I say it a lot when writing about moose… I don’t think people understand just how big they are. If this is an Alaskan Yukon moose (a subspecies of moose that’s the largest of all the moose species) in this video, it must be a younger one. Alaskan Yukon moose can actually grow to over 1,600 pounds, and though it looks like this one has a ways to go before it reaches that number on the scale, it’s still large enough to hold up a line of cars.
Until moose and other wild animals understand that slower moving traffic should stay to the right so that faster travelers can pass on the left, things like this are going to happen. Like I said earlier… seeing wildlife like this on your ride home isn’t the worst thing in the world. Sure, you are probably going to be a couple of minutes late to wherever you are going. But you get to see a moose along the way, and not everyone is so fortunate.
I also want to point out that it’s a bit odd that this moose seems to be walking in an area that’s very urbanized. Looks like there’s a McDonald’s up the road… maybe the wild animal was making a beeline for the drive-thru? It’s normal for wild animals to use paths that are already carved out by humans to travel. However, those “paths” are usually through more rural and wild settings. This moose – wither it be intentionally or unintentionally – has placed itself right in the middle of restaurants and gas stations and other businesses in Anchorage.
Thankfully, everyone in this area was respecting the moose’s space and questionable travel route. It’s a rare type of traffic jam, but one that happens more often than you think in “Moose Country.” Check it out:
“Just our average traffic jam in Anchorage, Alaska.”
