The calves are coming

ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska -- A moose calf, only a few days old, lays in a flower bed in Moose Crossing housing after its mother bedded it down so she can browse for food. Moose calves will be born in the coming week or two and are bedded for sometimes extended periods of time. Base personnel are asked to avoid disturbing the calf so its mother is comfortable returning to retrieve its young. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Keith Brown)

The calves are coming

ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska -- A moose calf trying to enter a garage is held at bay by a resident under the guidance of Military Conservation agents after his mother bedded him down so she can browse for food. Moose calves will be born in the coming week or two and are bedded for sometimes extended periods of time. Base personnel are asked to avoid disturbing the calf so its mother is comfortable returning to retrieve its young.(U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Keith Brown)

Calf season

Published May 12, 2009
By Master Sgt. Keith Brown
3rd Wing Public Affairs

ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska -- The calves are coming, the calves are coming ...

With the snow gone and temperatures pushing the 70s, it's a sure sign that moose are about to start giving birth and moose calves will be showing up around base, primarily in housing areas. The actual peak in calving is around May 20 according studies in this part of Alaska, but the first calves are usually reported by May 15. Cow moose are attracted to housing areas probably because of fewer threats from predators.

With the arrival of the calves come the phone calls that a moose has abandoned its calf, but that usually isn't the case. During the first week after giving birth the cow moose will bed-down her calf and leave it for several hours. If a calf has been left for 12 hours, this doesn't mean it has been abandoned. If the calf hasn't moved within 24 or 36 hours, the calf may be distressed. Report distressed calves to the Elmendorf Wildlife Office at 552-0200 or after hours through the Law Enforcement Desk of 3rd Security Forces Squadron at 552-4444.

Gawking is another problem faced when a calf is bedded and the cow is off browsing, usually within hearing distance of the calf. Avoid getting too close to the calf, or spending too much time watching from short distances as this will agitate the mother and can cause her to become aggressive, or frighten her away, causing the calf to be left longer than it should. The calf too can become severely frightened and run-off in a direction away from the cow. Under extreme conditions, Elmendorf's military conservation agents will move the calf to a location close to the mother, but this can be dangerous for all involved.