BY LESLIE REGO
The adolescent moose twins, a male and a female, raced around our yard. They were full of vim and vigor, cavorting and playing tag. I was amazed how the twins could appear so clumsy, yet so graceful at the same time. For their awkward size and shape, they moved agilely. Their long legs covered a lot of territory, and as I watched, huge clumps of grass went flying in all directions. The twins chased one another through the gardens, around and around the trees, stopping quickly, swiftly changing directions, standing their ground and just as quickly starting again when one approached the other.
We have “hosted” a family of moose on our property for a few years and have witnessed the maturation of twin babies for several seasons. Last summer the twins were quite young and spent their days with their mother. This year the twins are adolescents and we seldom see the mother. The twins freely roam the property, eating, just as teenagers are wont to do, mammoth amounts as they explore all of our beautiful flowers and special trees.
As the twins raced around the yard, the deposit of skin hanging from the neck, called a “bell” or a “dewlap,” swung from side to side. The bell is much bigger on the male than the female and the young bull’s dewlap swung vigorously as he zigzagged through the garden. The bull moose looked rakish. He was running around with one antler missing. The remaining antler was quite small, with only a few points, a clear indication that he was still young. I am not sure why he had lost one so early in the season, as generally the bulls lose their antlers sometime late in the autumn. It made him look lopsided.
The front pair of legs on moose are longer than the hind pair, which contribute to the awkward gait. This was evident as the twins frolicked. Their long legs churned through the ground, the knees bending at cumbersome angles. The lanky legs seemed hardly capable of supporting their massive torsos and yet they leaped about, capering through the flowers.
Last year, on the day of our youngest son’s marriage, the moose all came. Our son and his bride were getting married in our backyard and it was apparent the moose wanted to participate. They stood alongside our driveway just as the guests arrived. We were not sure if we should shuttle our guests down the driveway or take our chances with everyone walking. The mother moose and baby twins looked on with unabashed curiosity. Were the moose or the guests more curious? I am not sure!
The “kids” had a fun romp through the yard and they certainly released a lot of energy. Later, I saw them resting in the front pasture, tuckered out by the hour’s play.
Leslie Rego is an Idaho Press Club award-winning columnist, artist and Blaine County resident. To view more of Rego’s art, visit leslierego.com.