Totally Tech World Blogs

I didn’t know what to expect when we moved to Alaska. So much is written about this great state but I was not prepared for what I found. I came here with wonder and a little apprehension but there were many surprises and changes in my expectations. What I found was a secret love for a wild,

untamed and vast land.

This blog is all about Alaska but mostly about the things you won’t read about in the tourist articles. I’m starting with the moose because I love to watch them. A full grown female weighs more than 900 pounds and a bull moose over 1200 pounds. The height at the shoulders ranges between 6 ½ to 7 ½ feet tall. So we’re dealing with a large animal.

It’s a curious site to see a moose stripping the leaves from the willow branches in your yard. It’s not uncommon to see moose eating the leaves off trees that are part of the landscaping for high-rise buildings downtown. They start at the end of the branch closest to the trunk then slide their mouth all the way to the tip of the branch. Now you’ve got one bare branch as they munch the leaves then proceed to repeat the process. If the branch is too high they pull it down, snapping it from the trunk then eat the leaves. Needless to say the moose are excellent at pruning the trees or making us trim the broken branches.

One night we stayed up all night watching a mother and her baby. The baby was still very young and wobbly on its spindly legs. Mom ate the leaves and the baby tried to follow her example. It was a funny site as the baby tugged and tugged and finally got one leaf off of the end of a branch. They spent the night cuddled into the grass behind the house. I wondered if the mother ever got any rest. It looked as if she was sleeping but her ear would turn, like a radar, listening for any danger.

One important rule is to never get between mother and baby. A mother moose will stomp any threat, such as a person or dog, to protect that baby. At 900 pounds she wins the fight. So watching from a distance or from the window suits me just fine.

If you plant a garden you’re going to need a high fence. Cabbage products, such as cauliflower and broccoli grow well in Alaska and are like candy to moose.

Moose may look kind of awkward and silly but they really are interesting animals.