Moosic anyone?
A National Parks Service employee got a free concert on her porch in Alaska when a young moose dropped by to play her wind chimes.
"Interactions with wildlife happen daily here in Alaska," says Britta Schroeder, who filmed the moose with her cellphone from her cabin in Healy, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of the entrance to Denali National Park and Preserve.
"But this behavior was novel to me," says Schroeder, who has seen moose frequently in the park and even in her yard.
"Although the latter half of the video shows the moose chewing on the [glass] pendulum, for the first half you can see the animal simply nuzzling the chimes," she says.
Schroeder works as a cartographer for the National Parks Service and was inspired to work in that field and move to Alaska after seeing the 1994 Alaska National Geographic map and the 1996 issue of the magazine on national parks (this year, the centennial of the park service, is marked by a year of special parks coverage by Nat Geo).
Schroeder believes the moose is one of two calves born last spring. She had seen the pair with their mother frequently around her home up until last March, when they parted ways—a time when moose "teenagers" may strike off on their own. (Watch rare video of a moose shedding an antler.)
Other internet video shows a male, or bull, moose with its antlers apparently stuck in wind chimes.
Moose biologist Bill Samuel of the University of Alberta says the calf in Schroeder's video might have thought the chimes looked edible, since "it kept putting it in its mouth."
In fact, the moose damaged the wooden base of the chimes, although Schroeder was able to repair them.
The incident happened on the evening of May 4. Schroeder was home when she heard tinkling chimes and a thump on her porch. Her dog's ears perked up, so she looked outside to see what was going on.
Now Schroeder says she is excited to share the video and "marvel at the unique behavior."
