Although our boat tour through the fjords near Seward was probably the highlight of our Alaskan adventure, the day wasn’t over when we returned to port. We had been hoping to see moose since we had arrived, but hadn’t had any luck around Anchorage. After a meal at my brother’s house in Seward, we started the long drive back to Anchorage. We weren’t even out of Seward yet (and it’s a pretty small town) when we spotted the moose (Alces alces). It was a cow, and she was browsing right beside the road on a residential street. She seemed very calm and comfortable in that setting, and didn’t react at all to our approach in a vehicle. As soon as we began to approach her, I started taking photos, expecting that she might decide to run at any moment, but she didn’t. Another car also stopped and was taking pictures and she ignored it as well. It was obvious that she was used to traffic and to it stopping near her.

Since we weren’t troubling her, we decided to drive around the area where she was feeding and see if we could get some photos of her face. We probably sat, watching and photographing her for 20-30 minutes and several other cars came and went with no concern from her. Interestingly, she seemed to mainly be eating the hips from a rose bush. Apparently, she was feeling the need for some vitamin C. Then suddenly, she perked up and became very attentive and even somewhat nervous. When we looked around, we realized that she was watching a woman walking a bicycle up the street a block away. She paid very close attention until the woman and bike were completely out of sight. Obviously, even though people in cars were not considered a threat, a person on foot was an entirely different matter. I’m quite sure that had anyone tried to get out of one of the vehicles, it definitely would have provoked her.

Adult moose are the largest living members of the deer family (Cervidae), and when provoked, can be extremely dangerous. Even though cows are smaller than bulls and have no antlers, they can kick, butt, and trample people if frightened or threatened. Most of the time, they are peaceful animals, but every year there are people who are injured or killed by moose. Like any wild animal, they should be respected and only approached cautiously. We had been told that this particular cow was also being accompanied by two calves, and even though they weren’t with her at the moment, protecting them from any perceived threats would be important to her.

After watching the cow for awhile, we decided to go look for the calves. Like other members of the deer family, cow moose often leave their calves in a “safe place” while they feed. The search for the calves wasn’t difficult. We found them in an empty, grassy lot about a block away. Unlike their mother, though, both of them were somewhat stressed about being in town. When we approached in our vehicles they didn’t run, but both were breathing harder than normal, and one had it’s back turned towards us and the hair on the back of it’s neck was raised. We didn’t approach them as closely as we had their mother, and we stayed for only a few minutes to take some photos before leaving so as to minimize any stress that we were causing. I was incredibly thankful for the chance to see and photograph this iconic species, but I never want to harass or stress my subjects.

It had been an absolutely amazing day for wildlife sightings and photography, but even after the moose, it wasn’t quite over. Not far out of Seward we also saw a brown bear (Ursa arctos gyas) headed into the woods alongside the road. Unfortunately, all I caught was a glimpse of it’s rear end as it raced into the trees and there was no time for pictures. Still, it was a fantastic ending to an incredible day of wildlife encounters.