A viral video has been circulating online showing an Alaska man trying to help a baby moose that fell into a lake. While it seemed like an easy task — just pull the calf out — the animal's mother just wouldn't let him.
At the start of the video, the photographer Spencer Warren explained: "I didn't think I'd have to deal with this today, but I show up to work and there's a baby moose that fell into the lake."
In the video, you can see the calf struggling as it's wedged between a float plane and a dock. It's kicking its legs as it tries to claw its way out. Then, Spencer added that he wanted to help it but "mama moose won't leave me alone to save the baby."
View this post on Instagram
Then, Warren wrote in a subtitle that he and a police officer from Homer, Alaska, ran over to the calf when the mama moose walked over to the other side of the parking lot. The video shows them dashing over, taking a knee, and grabbing the calf as it whined.
After removing it from the water, they placed it on the ground where it immediately slipped and fell. "So tired," one of the men says. As the calf stood up, the officer gently helped it stand and it ran off. The two men celebrate with a fist bump.
From the inside of a vehicle, Spencer films the calf standing behind a structure. "Saved him," he says and then adds in the caption: "And reunited." The video shows the mama moose cleaning its calf beneath an American flag.
How dangerous are moose
Experts say animals like moose aren't usually aggressive toward humans, but their behavior is more predictable if you surprise them or try to touch their babies.
According to the Alaska Department of Fish & Game, cow moose (females) tend to be very protective of their young, especially during birthing season in late spring. Whereas bull moose (males) are aggressive during mating season, which happens in late September and October.
While experts almost always advise that you never, ever approach wildlife, especially their babies, there might be a few exceptions, such as a calf wedged between your dock and plane.
