![]() Sweden boasts the highest moose density of any country at about 1 1/2 moose per square mile. And yet those two countries have more than twice as many moose as the 49th state. Norway and Sweden combined cover an area of about 300,000 square miles. Of course, we like to think we have lots of moose too. Some get overly friendly and some get really belligerent.Īnd we like to think we have moose problems in Alaska. "Their behavior can alter, and they can become frighteningly aggressive,'' Martin Kolberg, head of the animal committee in Telemark, told Apparently, drunken moose are a lot like drunken people. ![]() Norwegian officials have warned that drunken moose can be even more unpredictable and dangerous than sober moose. It eats all it can, stumbles around the yard and finally falls asleep, Von Scheele said. A moose discovered this bounty and moved in. Von Scheele said the problem in her yard in Sweden this year is fermenting apples from the family's 10 trees. Moose feasting on the fermenting fruit ended up drunk.īe thankful we don't have many apple or pear trees here. Two years ago, Norwegian officials issued a "drunken moose alert" for southern Norway for the same reason, according to "News from Norway'' at A sudden and early snowfall buried newly fallen fruit, which then fermented, according to Norwegian wildlife officials. Efforts to drive the moose away have failed. ![]() She's afraid to let her children and pets out of the house. It can be dangerous when it's drunk,'' Laila von Scheele told Expressen, a Swedish newspaper. No word on whether the animal slurs its grunts and moans. This time it's a family in Sweden having problems with a big, dumb, stumbling ungulate. This fall you can catch her enjoying the cooler weather and hoping to catch a glimpse of wildlife.Drunken moose are on the loose in Scandinavia. Rachel Dorencz is a community programs coordinator at Walking Mountains Science Center. Give the moose plenty of space and privacy to do their business, and avoid disturbing an angry bull moose on a mission for a mate. If you are lucky enough to hear the bellow of a bull or witness sparring, it is wise to observe from a distance. Moose can also sometimes be seen in riparian areas near Minturn on trails including Grouse Lake and Cross Creek Trail. Piney Lake is known as a moose hotspot around the Eagle Valley because of its plentiful woody material. Rutting is an incredible spectacle to observe, and the best time to see moose mating behavior is at dawn or dusk in marshy areas. The scent of a wallow is so appealing that cows have even been known to fight each other over rights to a wallow. The wallow’s scent signals to any females in the area that a nearby male is single and ready to mingle. They fill these mud pits with their own urine and rub the muddy mixture on themselves as a sort of stinky cologne. Male moose use their antlers to dig pits in the mud called wallows. Though pungent and unappealing to people, bull moose urine is a powerful aphrodisiac to cows. When push comes to shove, most moose will avoid serious injury and back down from a sparring match when their opponent is clearly stronger.īeyond majestic antlers, fierce sparring and haunting bellows, bull moose have another unusual technique to attract females. Later on, it is more common for severe fights to occur. It turns out size does matter to a female moose because a large set of antlers indicates that a bull is healthy and would likely father strong calves.Įarly in the mating season, these scuffles are similar to wrestling matches where neither party is likely to be hurt. The bigger the rack, the fitter the bull, and the more females are likely to be interested. Male bull moose have one obvious way they show off to the ladies: their antlers. It’s easy to admire their dedication to dating, but how do they actually go about finding a mate? Instead, they focus all their time and energy into finding a partner. In fact, mating is so important that bull moose stop eating for weeks during the rut. If adults don’t mate early enough, their offspring may be born too late in the spring, and be unfit to survive come the following winter. In September and October, a bull moose’s bellows can be heard for miles as they search feverishly for mates.įall is a crucial time for these resident animals. While weather in the mountains is getting cooler, things are heating up for the giants of the deer family: moose.
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