Moose Calf Rescued from Boardwalk in Homer, Alaska

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – A moose calf found itself in a precarious situation after being rescued from beneath the boardwalk at the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge in Homer. The incident unfolded on June 19 when Chad Felice, the Homer Parks Maintenance Coordinator, was alerted by a park regular.

Felice was conducting his routine park inspections when he was flagged down by a concerned visitor who mentioned that a mother moose was acting aggressively. “He flagged me down and said that a mother moose with another calf kind of charged him,” Felice recounted. The visitor suspected that a third calf was trapped, as the mother moose seemed anxious.

After confirming that the calf was indeed stuck under the boardwalk, Felice quickly mobilized his team for a rescue. However, the effort was complicated by the protective behavior of the mother moose, which attempted several bluff charges at the rescuers.

Equipped with straps and a wetsuit, one rescuer crawled beneath the boardwalk while another watched for the mother moose. After enduring several tense moments, the team successfully extracted the calf. “Once we got it up from underneath the boardwalk and got it over the other little gap, it just kind of trotted over to mom,” Felice said.

After reuniting, the family of three ventured deeper into the woods, with Felice expressing anticipation of seeing them again during his park rounds. “Just kind of the day in the life of Homer Public Works,” he added.