During one of the lulls in the pandemic, my manager gifted her husband with a moose safari for his birthday. !!! I got all the details from her and promptly told my family that I, too, wanted a moose safari! I added it to my Christmas wish list, and the kids got it for me! The moose safari in question was at a moose park in Markaryd, which is quite a distance from us, approximately 1.5 hours north. But last year, when we were visiting our friends Mats and Annelott, we saw signs for a NEW moose park in Skäralid, which is only about 40 minutes away! So, I booked it for my birthday and we went yesterday.
Our reservation was for 11:30 and we got there just before, after driving through the beautiful SKåne summer landscape and through the pretty beech tree-filled national park that the moose park belongs to in Söderåsen. Awaiting us was a tractor pulling 4 long, covered trailers, with bench seats on each side. We got our tickets scanned and clambered aboard. It had been raining on and off, but the sun was shining most of the day, even though the ground was wet and the trees were dripping. Another pair of families with very small children filled the trailer behind us, but that was it, and we set off, trundling at tractor speed into the woods.
We drove past a fenced in area, and then into a big enclosure, which currently houses two moose: a mama (Lupra) and her 11-week old baby Holger. She ignored us completely, but Holger perked up, stood up, and came right over. I FED A BABY MOOSE! He was adorable. We were given small, fresh branches of leaves to feed the moose, and instructed that feeding was okay but mom and baby were not to be petted. Hard to refrain, when the object of your affection is so close!
Our guide told us that Lupra is 10 years old, and from Borås Zoo. It’s not allowed to capture wild moose, so all the moose in captivity in Sweden are from zoos or animal parks, or born there, like Holger. He let all of us feed him, and then stood and partook of a salt lick, which made it easy to photograph him.
Me feeding a baby moose!
Did you know that a female moose with a baby is one of the most dangerous animals in Sweden? And that moose can run as fast as 60 kilometers an hour (which means you can’t outrun them!)? The summer population of moose in Sweden is estimated to be 300,000–400,000 individuals. Around 100,000 are shot in the annual hunt during autumn, and 100,000 calves are born each spring. Sadly, between 4000-7000 moose are involved in traffic accidents every year, killing an average of 5 people. I couldn’t find accurate numbers on how many moose die as a result, though.
After too short a time, we drove on, out of the nursery enclosure and into the big enclosure that houses the 3 male moose that call the park home: Leroy (7 years), Lancelot (2 years), and Lucifer (3 years). We could see them gathered, lying down under the trees, at a distance, and when we got close, one of them clambered to his feet and came over to investigate, and get some free food. It turned out to be Lancelot. We were told he and Leroy could be petted, and all 3 of them could be fed, but that we shouldn’t pet Lucifer. It didn’t matter since Leroy and Lucifer, like Lupra, also ignored us.
Lancelot was very sociable, ambling back and forth, and getting fed and petted and scritched. His antlers were covered with soft velvet and his fur was coarse and very oily. Our guide told us that moose are actually solitary animals, the most antisocial of all the ruminants, but that when together in a park or zoo, they have no problem hanging out together most of the time, until mating season in the fall. The park actually closes for a period at that point, as the animals can be more dangerous.
Moose noses are shaped as they are because they allow the animal to eat while their head is underwater. Moose can’t sweat, which means global warming is a problem for them. Their antlers fall off and regrow every year. The whole trip was fascinating and so were the moose. I would love to go back.
After we were done petting Lancelot, we tractored back to the park entrance, where we found a boutique full of moose-themed stuff. Karin bought me a pair of moose socks and a magnet. 🙂 The whole area was really nicely set up, with lots of picnic tables and fika and coffee for sale. In addition, there was a playground and a petting enclosure with chickens and goats. So, we ALSO got to pet a baby goat, who was quite a little character. I wanted to smuggle him out and bring him home, but the problem with baby goats is that they grow up to be goats, haha!
I highly recommend going on a moose safari! It was a thrill to be so close to these amazing and majestic animals, and to get to feed and pet them, to boot. If you live in Skåne, check out Söderåsens Älgpark. In fact, I think I’ll have to go back again next summer!
Mood: happy
Music: Sarah Kinsley—Karma