Alaska Moose stops action at "Let's Move," event

There were fast sweaty races.  There were complicated obstacle courses.  There were colorful hoola hoops.  There were loud and active training games.   

And then there was this moose.  And everything shut down–fast.

 At the Alaska Job Corps Center, moose are frequent visitors.  The primitive and homely creatures roamed this country long before humans settled and built structures.  Moose simply don’t pay attention to  boundaries.  They follow an instinctual path, which oftentimes cuts right through the center of the Alaska Job Corps Center. 

There is a strict center directive regarding wildlife:  no harassment.  Wildlife  have  “the right of way.”   So when a 1000 pound  moose strolls through the 20 acre center, staff and students take a sheltered and  distant view only. 

Moose are a part of life in Alaska.  Respect and safety are  important whether driving, walking, outdoor training, or recreating.  Moose encounters are expected, but actual moose and human confrontations are never pretty. 

The “Let’s Move Event,” designed to celebrate healthy living and continual training activity, went into a respectful pause mode, while Ms. Moose sampled grasses, fireweed blossoms and wandered .   Fourty five minutes later, the  moose lumbered back  into the woods.   And the games began again.