Seeing a moose
Seeing a moose, especially a young one alone in spring, may mean you have caught a moment that looks harsh: a cow moose chases off her yearling just before she gives birth to a new calf. The push starts the young animal's life on its own.
What it may mean
A moose calf spends its first year glued to its mother, following her through deep snow and learning which twigs to eat. Then, in late spring, she turns on it. According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, calves are chased off just before the cow gives birth again. The yearling may linger nearby for a while before it heads off on its own. It looks harsh from the outside, and it is also how the next calf gets her full attention. Many human beginnings work this way: a parent who stops answering every question, a boss who hands over the project, a friend who says, kindly, that you can manage this one yourself. Seeing a moose may call to mind the push that started you out, and the people you might need to push gently in turn.
Depending on how you saw it
A moose walking through a neighborhood
In Anchorage and other northern towns, moose browse in yards and wander across school grounds, and residents learn to give them a wide berth. Where do you keep a respectful distance from someone powerful who shares your daily space?
A newborn beside a giant
A newborn moose weighs around 28 pounds, startlingly small beside a cow that may weigh 800 pounds or more, and it gains weight quickly on her milk through the summer. Who stayed close to you in a year when you changed fast?
Why it happens in nature
Moose are the largest members of the deer family; adults range from about 800 pounds for a small cow to 1,600 pounds for a big bull. In summer they eat leafy plants and pond vegetation, in winter chiefly willow, birch and aspen twigs. Calves are born in late spring, weaned in the fall and chased off by the mother just before she calves again.
To reflect on
Who once pushed you out on your own before you felt ready, and how do you see that push now?