Nov. 29 — Moose on the move

Northwest Trek welcomes five moose to its animal sanctuary

Chris Albert / of the Herald

This Fall, Northwest Trek received a package from FedEx they’ve been looking forward to for months. The shipping crate and its contents weighed about 1,000 pounds and came all the way from Alaska.

The package contained two moose calves. The two were joined shortly by two more calves from the Calgary Zoo in Canada and one adult bull from Boise, Idaho.

The five moose are the most the park has ever received at one time, said Cherilyn Williams, Northwest Trek spokesperson, and brings the moose total at the park to six. It’s the most they have ever had.

There’s a lot that goes into getting a moose to the park, let alone five, said Deanna Jackson, park animal keeper and veterinarian technician.

Monitoring the moose is a continuous learning experience, but getting to the park is an adventure in itself. The two calves from Alaska were shipped by FedEx in a shipping crate. Two Alaska Zoo officials came along for the ride to monitor the moose on their flight to the Sea-Tac Airport. After the calves arrival the two were placed in a trailer and driven to Northwest Trek.

The Boise male was shipped in a trailer. Jackson went along from Boise to the park to make sure everything was OK.

Before making the trip, the moose that is more than 6 feet high from the shoulders was trained to get in and out of the trailer, making it manageable for zoo officials and safe for the moose. Other preparation was needed to be done to fit such a large animal in what equates to a horse trailer.

The adult bull’s antlers were removed for the trip, because they could not fit into the trailer and he could hurt himself, Jackson said.

When there is felt over the horns, rubbing against something can cause bleeding.

Before the park welcomed its new residents, there had only been as many as three moose at the Trek at the time. For about a year, only one moose wandered in the free roaming area.

“The whole thing is exciting,” Jackson said.

The park has been on the lookout to add moose to their park for a number of years, but none had become available.

Last May, park officials learned there were moose that could be transferred to Northwest Trek. Getting five moose was just a pleasant surprise, Williams said.

One male and one female calf came from the Anchorage Zoo in Alaska. They were born in the spring of 2007. Two female calves, also born in the spring, came from the Calgary Zoo in Canada. And one 6-year-old male moose came from the Boise Zoo in Idaho.

The moose from Boise and Calgary will eventually be used for breeding.

“This is a good number,” Jackson said.

Following a standard quarantine of at least 60 days, the moose will be introduced into the 435-acre free roaming area at the park. The unique area allows for park-goers to hop on a tram and take a guided tour to see hundreds of animals, like moose, deer, big horn sheep and caribou in their natural habitat and has been used as a model for other zoos, Williams said.

Right now they are in pens away from public display.

In quarantine park officials will be able to monitor the health of the animals as well as give the moose time to assimilate to their new surroundings.

“They are in pens next to each other so they can smell each other,” Williams said.

This way the moose can get used to each other and stay safely monitored, separated by the zoo they came from.

Jackson and other keepers pay close attention to the noises each animal makes, so they can recognize if the moose feels threatened or comfortable.

Some of the new Trek residents are talkative, but others seem to prefer a quiet approach.

“I’ve never heard these ones talk,” Jackson said of two of the calves.

Blood work is done frequently to make sure the moose are free of parasites and healthy. One of the best indicators for a healthy animal is the shape, texture and contents of their feces.

“I learned coming here poop is really important,” Jackson said.

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Moose facts

>The gestation period for moose is 8 months.

> Moose commonly give birth to twins.

> Newborn moose weigh an average of 20 to 25 pounds. After six months the calves at the park weighed between 400 and 500 pounds each.

> An adult moose can be as large as 1,800 pounds and 7 and a half feet from the shoulders.

> Moose can swim faster than a human can paddle a canoe.

> In captivity moose generally live for 8 to 9 years.

Reach Reporter Chris Albert at 253-841-2481 ext. 313 or by e-mail at chris.albert@puyallupherald.com.