Baby Moose Stuck in a Boulder

Occurred on June 7, 2019 / Homer, Alaska, USA

Info from Licensor: "I was out photographing Sandhill Cranes and their newborn colts on Friday afternoon at the slough in Homer, Alaska, when I heard the cry and pitiful yelps of a large animal. My first instinct was to look for the parent - a moose, a bear, anything that might be a threat. When I saw that the area was clear, I approached the bushes where I had heard the crying expecting it to be behind the boulder. Much to my surprise, I found a moose calf wedged down the bottom of the giant crack in the boulder, completely immobile. Knowing the dangers involved with mother moose and their calves, I walked around the area to see if the mother was nearby. Still no sign of her. I checked to see how badly the calf was injured, and saw that there were some cuts on her legs and there were flies landing on her. I called my mom and she notified Fish and Game of what had happened. Fish and Game then called me and I let them know my location. Seeing that the moose was likely extremely dehydrated, I decided I should pull her out as quickly as possible. I pulled her out from the crack by grabbing her by the feet, and saw that although nothing seemed to be broken, her eye was swollen and her legs were quite scuffed up. After about ten minutes a worker from Fish and Game showed up, picked her up, and put her down on a patch of dry grass. I let him do the rest of the work since he was the expert, and I left the area to minimize the stress on the already frightened animal. He texted me later on to tell me that he had given her some fluids, cleaned her up, and waited around nearby until he came back and found that she had left. He said that she was likely off with her mother now, so her injuries must not have been critical to her health despite my initial impression. Unfortunately, we don't have any more information on the condition of the calf at this time, but I have been keeping an eye out for her in that general area."