Hoof care for ungulates (hooved animals) helps keep them healthy and happy, much like well-care visits to your doctor. During International Hoof Care Month, learn why we celebrate the importance of hoof care all year long, as we get up close with giraffe and Atka, the moose, to learn more about this specialized care.
He’s quadrupled in size, started training and is growing his first set of antlers – Our 8-month-old Alaska moose, Atka, has been with us for half a year – and what a busy six months it has been! We’re looking back at his progress and filling you in on what’s next for this quickly growing guy.
Before he even arrived at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, his team was working to make his habitat safe for him. The moose yard was already set up for an adult moose, but Atka only weighed about 90 pounds when he first came to live in Rocky Mountain Wild in July 2020, so there was plenty of ‘baby-proofing’ to do.
CMZoo grounds and maintenance crews installed fencing with smaller openings for Atka’s safety – better suited for a moose calf. Within that exterior boundary fencing, his team created a smaller boundary that prevented access to complicated parts of the yard, like the culvert and pond. The smaller yard meant he could get used to his new home and his rapidly growing moose legs one step at a time. As he became more confident and grew in size, he gained more access to the large outdoor space.
Atka, who was unfortunately orphaned in the wild in Alaska when his mother was involved in a fatal human-wildlife conflict, was still being hand-fed three bottles per day. Over the next several months, his team introduced grain and browse, otherwise known as tree branches, and reduced the number of bottles he received until he was completely weaned. Atka, like other moose in human care, also quickly developed a taste for bananas, which made the not-so-fun transition away bottles a little more bearable. The bottles were helpful in developing initial bonds with his keepers, and bananas are a favorite treat now.
“He was hesitant about some of us at first, but also curious from day one,” said Kristen Cox, Rocky Mountain Wild keeper. “Sometimes, when we’d clean his yard, he’d come right up and put his nose under our arms and smell the tools we were using, then sniff the bags we used to clean up and stomp on them. It was really ‘helpful’ and fun to see he wanted to approach us and see what we were doing.”
At first, Atka wasn’t used to his new people, so keepers slowly worked to teach him that when they were near and touched him on the back or neck that he would be safe, and would be rewarded – usually with a bottle and later with half a banana. He needed to be comfortable with physical touch as a first step toward learning behaviors that are important to his long-term health, like voluntary hoof care, injection training, x-rays, blood draws and more.
The keepers and Atka developed a trusting relationship over time, and the young moose has become quite the scholar. He’s already learning all of the above mentioned husbandry behaviors, thanks to his keepers who worked with him at his own pace and respected any time he chose not to participate. Now, he’s comfortable with people he doesn’t see daily, too, like the CMZoo veterinary team and staff visitors who come by to visit.
At about 380 pounds (yes, he has quadrupled in size since he came to CMZoo – and could likely grow to about 1,600 pounds at his prime), Atka doesn’t get visitors inside his yard anymore, so he’s also learned to consistently approach his keepers at his training panel, right next to his barn.
As he interacts more and more with his keepers, they’re learning his quirks and demeanor.
“I think he’s coming into his own after so many changes in such a short time,” said Kelsey Walker, Rocky Mountain Wild keeper. “He’s really energetic and playful. He likes to rub his face against our knuckles and gently play-spar with us that way. He’ll also run with us if we’re walking by on the path. He’ll see us and we’ll say, ‘Hey, moose!’ and he sprints over to us and zooms around all excited.”
He also seems to share a curiosity about giraffe, like many CMZoo fans.
“One day, the giraffe keepers let us have some of their browse for him,” said Sarah Dugger, Rocky Mountain Wild keeper. “Normally when we give him browse, he just devours it. It’s his favorite, next to bananas. But this browse had been in the giraffe barn for a couple of hours, so it smelled like giraffe. He was smelling it and rubbing against it and just looked really interested in what this strange smell was. Then, he ate it.”
What’s next for young Atka? More eating and growing, of course, and his first set of antlers.
“I’m so excited to see how big he gets,” said Dugger. “We keep hearing how big Alaska moose are. How tall will he get? How much will he weigh? What will his antlers look like? It’s going to be cool to see how his behavior changes in rut, when his antlers are fully developed, too. There’s a lot to look forward to.”
Male moose grow a new set of antlers each year and shed them every winter. Each set of antlers is unique, but go through about the same annual growth cycle. During rut, when typically solitary wild male moose battle other males for territory and access to female moose, their testosterone peaks. Although Atka won’t need to battle for his territory, his hormones will still likely lead him to instinctive sparring behaviors. To fulfill this instinct, keepers will provide him with large barrels and other items to rub his antlers against (and probably spar with occasionally).
On social media, Atka fans can keep up with his antler development with a new series, #AtkaAntlerWatch, published monthly on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. His first set of antlers started to form in November, but have really taken off in the last month or so. During each photo or video update on social media, Atka’s keepers will attempt to measure his antler growth. We say ‘attempt’ because this will not be an exact measurement, as Atka recently showed us he might be more interested in trying to taste the wooden ruler than being measured by it. As of the first update, on Jan. 25, 2021, his adorable antler ‘nubbins’ are about two inches tall, and are covered in fuzzy moose calf fur.
Soon, keepers will start introducing Atka to his pond – a next step his keepers say they can’t wait to see.
“It’ll be neat to see if he swims, because moose dive to eat underwater vegetation and can actually swim,” said Cox.
“I wonder if he’s going to get the zoomies in the water!” said Dugger.
Keep up with Atka’s exciting progress on the Zoo’s social media channels and by visiting him in Rocky Mountain Wild, voted the #2 Best Zoo Exhibit in North America by USA TODAY’s Readers’ Choice contest in 2020.
It’s snack time with 4-month-old Alaska moose calf, Atka, who joined us in July. He’s grown to nearly 250 pounds and stands just under five feet tall! Our big guy is gaining about 14 pounds per week, but is still a safe size for his keepers to go into his exhibit with him. He’s eating more solid foods, like grain and browse, and has nearly completely weaned off of bottles. He has mastered the art of making ‘noodles’ out of his favorite elm browse, as you can see in the video!
Atka fans will notice his coat is changing colors and texture. His winter coat is coming in thick and has turned from its formerly reddish hue to a dark chocolate brown. He’s also sporting incredibly fuzzy ears, ready for cooler temps coming our way in the next few weeks. We get a lot of questions about when he’ll grow his first set of antlers. We should start seeing growth in the spring!
To learn more about Atka, check out his YouTube playlist
As kids head back to school with so many changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our partner, Children’s Hospital Colorado, has provided a guide to helping prepare children and their parents for what’s to come with this blog.
Likewise, one of Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s youngest residents is preparing for big changes ahead. Atka, a 3-month-old male Alaska moose who moved to Rocky Mountain Wild after being orphaned in Alaska, is working on training, learning to navigate new areas of the moose yard, and saying goodbye to bottles.
As animals adapt to changes like these, keepers look for ways to help them feel confident and calm, partly by making sure animals have access to things they like. Atka, for example, loves browse, otherwise known as tree branches. He likes to eat browse, investigate it and watch guests from behind it. He also likes shade and his mister to keep cool and comfortable. His keepers continually make changes to his yard that improve his confidence outside of the barn. They’re also developing trusting relationships with the little moose.
Each of Atka’s keepers has bonded with Atka over various special interactions when they first recognized he would hold a place in their hearts forever. For Rogers, it was a moment of innocent mischief.
“I went in to do some cleaning one day and he came over and was playing with a grain bag that I was trying to use as a trash bag,” said Courtney Rogers, lead keeper in Rocky Mountain Wild. “He was kicking it and overall adorably getting in my way while I was trying to get the job done. It was really endearing. He likes to play hard to get. If you’re in the yard with him, but focused on something else, he’ll usually come over and see what you’re up to and maybe nudge you for some attention. He prefers being the one to initiate interactions. That’s good because that means he’s confident and independent.”
His impressive growth could be contributing to that confidence. Atka has been gaining about two pounds per day. He now weighs more than 170 pounds, having gained 80 pounds since he arrived mid-July. Obviously, he’s eating well, and as he grows his diet will need to change.
Atka currently gets two bottles a day, down from three per day when he arrived. At around this age, moose calves in the wild would be weaning off of their mothers’ milk, so Atka is on the right track. He also eats a lot of browse, grain and two bananas per day. Still, the little guy loves that bottle, so his keepers are being proactive in building his trust in them and his interest in other motivators that will help him achieve the training that will help his keepers care for him throughout his life.
“He’s learning to eat his grain, but is much more open to it if we include a mushed banana,” said Rogers. “Lots of people ask why he gets bananas, since they’re definitely not a part of a wild moose’s diet. Bananas are an old moose keeper secret. Tahoma loved bananas, too. The Alaska Zoo keepers who cared for Atka before us knew about it, and we learned about it from other keepers. It’s one of those weird things that someone somewhere tried once and hit the jackpot. They do contain sugar, so he gets them in moderation and as a special treat when we need to motivate him to do something.”
Motivating him to train, try new foods and explore new spaces safely are banana-worthy endeavors, but building a trusting relationship with his keepers is the biggest priority.
“We’re teaching him that he can control his outcomes and get rewards by behaving in certain ways,” said Rogers. “He learned to stand on his scale from an early age, so we know how intelligent he is. We have started cueing him to allow us to touch his leg. It seems simple, but it’s a first step in letting him voluntarily participate in his health care. We will say ‘touch’ to him and then touch his leg. I show him it benefits him to allow us to do that by reinforcing his positive behavior with a piece of banana. Someday soon he’ll be too big for us to go into the yard with him, so we need him to learn these behaviors while he’s young. Especially as he weans off the bottle, we need him to know there are other benefits of interacting with us.”
Right now, Atka can roam around a fenced area within the moose yard. He has access to trees, enrichment, shade and his mister. This smaller grassy part of the expansive moose yard doesn’t include potentially difficult obstacles, like the deep pool or rocky culvert. But soon, he’ll have a lot more space to explore.
“We’re taking it one step at a time,” said Rogers. “His outside space will be bigger, covering about half of the yard. We try to think of all the ways an animal could get into ‘trouble’ in a new space and address them. We’ll be watching closely when we take him on his first field trips into the larger yard, in case there are any spots we may have missed.”
In the wild, calves would learn to navigate from their mothers. Atka has the tools to navigate safely, but he doesn’t have the experience. A mother moose would instinctively pick the safest paths to navigate terrain and her calf would learn by watching her.
“Since he’s so independent, we’re not sure if he’ll follow our lead,” said Rogers. “The yard has some obstacles we want to make sure he knows how to navigate safely, but we trust he’ll figure it out quickly by depending on his natural moose instincts.”
Just like Tahoma, this little moose doesn’t seem to be phased by much, so keepers are optimistic about his future explorations.
“I’ve been impressed that he is pretty brave with new things,” said Rogers. “We got a new shade sail to give him some more shade in the yard and we laid it on the ground to figure out how to hang it. Some animals would be really hesitant about something like that, but he came right up to it and kept walking on it and through it. He was very helpful while we tried to install it.”
We’ll share updates as keepers continue helping Atka acclimate to his yard and new training opportunities, as he grows. Guests can visit Atka in the moose yard in Rocky Mountain Wild.
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Who’s ready for an update on our little moose?! The nearly 9-week-old male calf, who has not yet been named, is settling in and stealing hearts in Rocky Mountain Wild! Animal Care Manager, Rebecca, is in the moose yard with him to talk about how he’s been doing since he arrived last Wednesday morning. (To watch video updates of his journey from Alaska to #CMZoo, see his video playlist.
On your next visit, look out for him in the moose yard, but keep in mind that he is a baby and takes naps in his barn sometimes. This little guy is growing quickly (he already weighs 115 pounds!), meeting new friends, working on training, trying new foods and exploring his new home, which requires a lot of energy. He has access to his barn and his yard, so make sure you leave time during your visit to swing by twice if you don’t see him the first time around.
The biggest question about our little guy has been, “What is his name?” As of today, you can bid on the chance to name him in our virtual Zoo Ball online auction. Check out cmzoo.org/zooball for more information and to check out other CMZoo experiences, art and more. You can also make a donation to the Zoo, which we really appreciate after being closed for three months due to COVID-19.
Thanks for following along as we welcomed him home last week! We’ll keep you posted on this long-legged love’s progress.
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is excitedly making preparations for the newest resident of Rocky Mountain Wild — an 8-week-old male Alaska moose, due to arrive this Wednesday. The big-eyed, light brown, long-legged calf was orphaned at about six days old outside of Anchorage, Alaska, when his mother was involved in a fatal human-wildlife conflict. He has since been in the care of Alaska Zoo. Moose are extremely rare in zoos, and this arrival comes only two months after the loss of the Zoo’s beloved 12-year-old Canada moose, Tahoma.
“People have seen an increase in activity in the moose yard, over the past several days, as we prep it for the calf’s arrival,” said Rebecca Zwicker, Rocky Mountain Wild animal care manager. “Our guests have been really curious about the updates we’re making in the moose yard, so we’re excited to share this announcement. While we’ve been in the yard, ‘babyproofing,’ we’ve had some wonderful interactions with guests sharing condolences and stories of how Tahoma touched them. It’s clear that Tahoma’s legacy is in place. He touched a lot of hearts, young and old. This little guy has some big hooves to fill, but from what we hear from his keepers at Alaska Zoo, he’s up to the task.”
Two CMZoo staff members are on their way to Alaska Zoo to meet the little calf and transport him home. Starting Tuesday, July 14, CMZoo will share updates of the team’s travels as they make their way home to Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. Moose fans everywhere can witness the young moose’s journey home on Tuesday and Wednesday via Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s Facebook and YouTube channels.
“We knew we wanted to continue Tahoma’s incredible legacy with another moose, but we didn’t know it would happen this quickly,” said Courtney Rogers, lead animal keeper in Rocky Mountain Wild. “It’s a bittersweet situation, because of course, we wish this young calf could have continued living in the wild. But, since that was not possible, we’re grateful we’ll be able to care for him here. Since Tahoma passed, Rocky Mountain Wild has definitely been missing some ‘moose magic,’ and we’re so excited to help this little boy grow up.”
This young calf wouldn’t have been able to survive in the wild without his mother, but did benefit from having his first few days of his mother’s milk. He is still being bottle-fed, which will continue until he’s about three months old. As soon as he arrives at CMZoo, the calf will move into the moose yard in Rocky Mountain Wild, where staff have been doing some serious ‘babyproofing’ in preparation for his arrival.
“Tahoma weighed over 1,000 pounds and this little guy only weighs about 90 pounds, so there are several parts of the exhibit that could have been unsafe for him if we didn’t make changes,” said Rogers. “We hear from his Alaska Zoo keepers that he gets the ‘zoomies’ a lot, and he’s so small that he will likely be able to squeeze through or under some of the moose exhibit fencing, so we’ve been getting the exhibit ready for this young, inexperienced and excitable calf. We can’t wait to meet him.”
The exhibit features a deep pool and a relatively steep culvert, which the keepers will need to help the young moose learn to navigate. To keep him safe, a smaller temporary enclosure will be set up in the moose exhibit. Keepers will supervise calf ‘field trips’ into the main exhibit, to teach him the ropes and evaluate his comfort, before he graduates to full-time access to the entire exhibit. To help him adjust to the warmer weather in Colorado, they’re also preparing sand and soil beds that can be kept damp to keep him cool. The baby will also have fans in his barn, where he’ll sleep for protection while he’s still so small.
“We’re super excited, but also kind of feel like new parents,” said Zwicker. “When Tahoma came to us, he was about 10 months old, so this is the first time we’ve had such a young moose. We’re trying to be as prepared as possible. We have spoken with his keepers in Alaska and gotten great advice from other animal professionals who have cared for moose this young. But, we’ve also just accepted that this is going to be kind of a wild ride. He’s going to find some things to get into, and he may catch us off guard from time to time, but we’re also looking forward to watching him being a mischievous youngster. We have to channel our inner mama moose skills, and show him how to live his best life as an ambassador at CMZoo.”
CMZoo is one of only eight Association of Zoos and Aquariums-accredited institutions in the United States to house moose. Because moose are so rare in human care, CMZoo pioneered moose care practices through their work with Tahoma, like formulating nutritious moose diets and training for voluntary blood tests, hoof care and more.
“Tahoma truly was one-of-a-kind,” said Rogers. “Moose keepers visiting from other zoos remarked at how calm and laid-back he was. It’s going to be fun getting to know a new moose personality! For those who only knew Tahoma in his senior years, it can be difficult to remember that he was once a young moose running around the exhibit, trying to knock over trees and sparring with his enrichment. We fully expect this youngster to keep us on our toes with his antics.”
Going from caring for a 12-year-old moose with age-related issues to caring for a baby who’s learning how to be a moose is going to be quite a change of pace for the Rocky Mountain Wild keepers.
“With Tahoma, we spent a lot of time preparing and administering medications and medical treatments to keep him comfortable in his elder years,” said Rogers. “Instead of preparing ‘med sandwiches,’ now we’ll be preparing bottles. Just like we did for Tahoma, we’ll be monitoring this young calf’s food intake, his weight and his activity to make sure he’s getting everything he needs from us. We also may need to babysit or walk with him around the exhibit, which we are pretty excited about.”
The male moose has not yet been named. He will move into Rocky Mountain Wild’s moose exhibit when he arrives, and guests should be able to see him in the yard right away.
Cheyenne Mountain Zoological Society was founded in 1926. Today, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, America’s mountain Zoo, offers comprehensive education programs, exciting conservation efforts and truly fantastic animal experiences. In 2019, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo was voted #6 Best Zoo in North America and CMZoo’s Rocky Mountain Wild was named #5 Best Zoo Exhibit in North America by USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards. It is Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s goal to help guests fall in love with animals and nature, and take action to protect them. Of the 233 zoos and aquariums accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is one of just a few operating without tax support. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo depends on admissions, membership dues, special event attendance and donations for funding.
This weekend, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo family said a difficult goodbye to Tahoma, our well-loved friend and colleague in the fight to save wildlife.
“We strongly believe all of our animals have a very important job to do,” said Bob Chastain, president and CEO of Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. “They are ambassadors for their wild counterparts. They do the yeoman’s work of inspiring millions of people to understand and care about the challenges wild animals face.”
We humans are the best chance animals have for thriving in the wild. Tahoma helped tell the stories that inspired people to help. He encouraged people to do things like buying a hunting or fishing license, paying state park entrance fees, reducing mining by recycling, saving water and contributing to conservation efforts. Every visit to the Zoo is conservation in action. Tahoma’s CMZoo fans raise money and vote for conservation projects around the world through a portion of their memberships and entrance fees.
“Like many of our animal teammates at the Zoo, even him being here was a bit of a miracle that the people of Colorado Springs might not know,” said Chastain. “While you might get lucky and see moose in the wilds of Colorado, seeing how amazing they are up close in a safe environment is a rare treat.”
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo was one of only eight AZA-accredited institutions in the United States to house moose. Because moose are so rare in human care, there was little studied or known about their care and management until recently. Tahoma partnered with his care team to pioneer moose care practices, like formulating nutritious moose diets, blood tests, hoof care and more.
For people who haven’t worked at a place like Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, it may seem odd to refer to a moose as a colleague. But CMZoo staff firmly believe that all of us – humans and animals alike – have one main job to do, which is to connect guests with animals, and inspire them to care about wildlife. Tahoma did that job better than most of us.
Tahoma came to Cheyenne Mountain Zoo as a 10-month-old calf, and immediately began making connections with guests in the newly opened Rocky Mountain Wild exhibit. Less than two weeks shy of his 13th birthday, due to chronic arthritis pain and other conditions that could no longer be controlled with medication and treatments, Tahoma’s care team made the difficult decision to humanely euthanize him. He passed peacefully on a soft bed of cedar shavings, surrounded by his loving keepers and vet staff. Tahoma spent nearly his entire life inspiring guests and staff at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, and he will be remembered forever by those whose hearts he touched.
“All of our animals make an impact in their own way, but Tahoma took it above and beyond,” said Rebecca Zwicker, animal care manager in Rocky Mountain Wild, who worked with Tahoma for 10 years. “Before Tahoma, I never would have considered myself a ‘moose person,’ but he had me within the first minute of meeting him. I looked into those big brown eyes and handed him a cracker, and he nuzzled my hand and immediately had my heart. I can’t really put it into words, but there was something magic about Tahoma, and I know I’m not the only person who felt that.”
Zwicker and the rest of the Rocky Mountain Wild care team believe in the Zoo’s philosophy that our animals are our respected colleagues, and that we complete the work of the Zoo together as a team. We believe our animals are the essence of the Zoo. Our role is to help them succeed at their jobs, by providing the best possible habitats, health care, training, and opportunities for them to create meaningful relationships with our guests.
“Tahoma had this special way of connecting with people,” said Basia Dann, Rocky Mountain Wild animal keeper. “It was like he knew when we were busy and he needed to ‘work’ a little harder to reach more people. We would find huge crowds of people admiring him on busy days. He would position himself really close to people and create those opportunities for us to answer questions about moose and teach people about him to foster those important connections. That’s our job, and he was really good at it.”
Tahoma was a quick study. Through positive reinforcement training, Tahoma and his keepers built a relationship that meant everyone could look forward to training sessions. It didn’t take him and his keepers long – sometimes just one day – to perfect voluntary injection training, ear cleaning sessions, x-rays, laser therapy, EKG readings and blood draws. Tahoma was a catalyst for Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s renowned hoof care program. He was one of the first animals at the Zoo to voluntarily receive care on his hooves.
“I know for a fact what we learned from Tahoma has helped our giraffe,” said Zwicker. “There are other zoos in the U.S. that have started working with their moose because of the work we did with Tahoma. He was inspiring.”
Zwicker recalls sharing Tahoma’s achievements in hoof care to a room of three hundred people at an animal husbandry behaviors conference. That conference and another, during which zookeepers and trainers spent a day at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and met Tahoma, led to somewhat of a celebrity status for him in the zoo community. Tahoma was photographed for National Geographic photographer Joel Satore’s ‘The Photo Ark’ series and was even featured in a popular outdoor clothing company’s advertising campaign.
“He’s a legend,” said Sarah Dugger, Rocky Mountain Wild animal keeper. “I’ve been tracked down by keepers when I’m visiting other zoos just because I was Tahoma’s keeper. Even if they had never met him, they knew about Tahoma and had been inspired by him in some way. It wasn’t about meeting me; it was exciting for them to meet someone who worked with Tahoma.”
Tahoma made an enormous impact, and will leave a personal mark on so many lives. Thousands of people looked forward to guessing the weight of his antlers in Tahoma’s Annual Antler Weigh-In. He was motivation for a woman who had breast cancer and met her goal of visiting him once she went into remission. His face is tattooed on people’s bodies. He touched people’s hearts and expanded people’s horizons through education and the reminder that it’s always worth it to work to achieve a goal.
Although the Zoo was closed to the public on Tahoma’s last days, he was visited by his colleagues from every department at the Zoo.
“We showered him with love on his last few days,” said Zwicker. “It’s always a difficult decision, but we loved him too much to let the pain last. I’ve been thinking of our guests and how much they’re going to miss him, but want them all to know that he didn’t go out without any fanfare.”
Tahoma’s legacy will continue through the work of his fellow animal ambassadors, keepers, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo staff, the greater zoo and conservation communities, and the people who take action to protect wildlife and wild places because of the deep connections he made.
As the oldest Canada moose in human care in the United States, CMZoo’s 12-year-old male, Tahoma, has received specialized care for years. Until recently, his issues – including arthritis in his limbs and spine, and an on-and-off cough – haven’t seemed to decrease his long-term quality of life.
Now, Tahoma is showing signs that his pain is increasing, so keepers and CMZoo veterinary staff are working to keep him comfortable for his remaining time. Tahoma’s care team says he’s still eating well, which is a good sign.
Because moose are rare in human care, there’s widely varying data about their average life expectancy. The range we have seen from reputable sources is from 5 to 15 years. But, they have been known to decline quickly once issues become widespread, like this.
“We’ve seen a general slowing down in Tahoma over the last several weeks,” said Rocky Mountain Wild Animal Keeper Allison Rosing. “Specifically, he’s dealing with a significant arthritis-related limp in his front left leg, which he’s been compensating for by shifting weight to his right leg. Because he’s putting more weight on his right leg, we’re seeing inflammation in his right knee. We’ve also seen him ‘hiking’ his head up when he walks, to lessen the weight on his left leg.”
X-rays on Tahoma show severe arthritis in his left leg and other limbs, and advancing arthritis in his spine. His care team has been managing his arthritis for a few years, but recently it seems to be advancing more aggressively.
“We know we’re not going to be able to correct any of this for him, but we can do things to make him more comfortable,” said Rosing. “We’re managing his pain by increasing his anti-inflammatory medications, pain medications and laser therapy sessions. We’re also providing more spaces for him to lie down and rest.”
His team moved some large branches, which he’d previously enjoyed sparring with, out of his barn to make space for a big pile of pine shavings that he can lie on.
“He loves it,” said Basia Dann, Rocky Mountain Wild animal keeper. “He comes in to his barn every night and curls up in his pine shavings.”
Tahoma receives laser therapy on his joints three times per week. Laser therapy is thought to reduce pain and inflammation. Keepers have noticed his limp improving since starting the more frequent therapy regimen.
“Lately he seems more willing to come over and train, which is great because it gives us more opportunities to give him his medications, lots of love and special treats,” said Dann. “In addition to the laser therapy, we have vet appointments with him weekly, so we can track the progression of his issues and make adjustments to his treatment quickly.”
Tahoma’s keepers offer his oral medications – which Tahoma doesn’t seem to enjoy taking – with treats like bananas, kiwi and rye crackers with honey and molasses.
“There’s not a lot known about moose in human care, because there are so few of them,” said Dann. “We’re tracking Tahoma’s issues and overall quality of life, so we can help him stay comfortable for as long as we can, and so we can share information with other organizations whose moose could benefit from it.”
We will continue to keep Tahoma as comfortable as possible while continuing to track multiple factors for his overall quality of life. Stay tuned for more updates on Tahoma as we have them.
CMZoo’s aging Canada moose, Tahoma, is doing well at his impressive age. Rocky Mountain Wild Keeper, Basia Dann, walks us through some of 12-year-old Tahoma’s training and specialized care – and gives us the inside scoop on when to watch out for Tahoma’s annual antler shed.