COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium have new members among the mix: three Alaskan moose calves.
These calves were rescued by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
One of them, Bert, was found wondering around along a beach near Nikiski, Alaska. Officials suspect he fell off a bluff and became separated from his mother. They tried to locate the mother, but she was not found. Officials brought Bert to the Alaska Zoo in May 2022, and he is the largest of the calves, weighing in at 300.
The second calf, Violet, had been rejected by her mother for unknown reasons. When the Alaska Department of Fish and Game officials found her, she was thin and dehydrated. With a lot of care and training, she is now at a healthy weight of more than 200 pounds.
The zoo said they don’t have much of a back story for the third calf, Scarlet. She is the smallest of the trio, weighing 214 pounds.
The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium have partnerships with organizations like the Alaska Zoo and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to help provide a safe place for animals displaced from their natural habitats. The zoo said about 70% of the animals in the North American region were either displaced by natural disasters, orphaned, rescued or rehabbed due to injuries.
“I’m so glad the calves made it safely to their new home. Our keepers and interns worked very hard with them all summer. Watching them grow and thrive from wobbly orphans into strong little moose was rewarding, and everyone here felt the bittersweet of sending them to their new home. I know they will have the best care and be loved by everyone there,” said Sam Lavin, curator at the Alaska Zoo.
Nikki Smith, a curator for the North America region, traveled with the Vice President of Animal Health Randy Junge to Alaska to pick up the calves.
“All three calves did a great job on the 3,900-mile trip and seeing them immediately explore their new home was wonderful. I’m thankful to the Alaska Zoo team for their tremendous work in nurturing and caring for these three calves,” said Smith.
The calves are under a mandatory quarantine and will be introduced to Strawberry soon, who was also rescued by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and the Alaska Zoo. Strawberry now resides at the Columbus Zoo.
Officials estimate the calves are about 5 months old.
