Submitted by Northwest Trek Wildlife Park
It’s a girl!
Keepers at Northwest Trek Wildlife Park have determined the gender of the moose calf born July 17 — and now the park wants help in choosing a name.
The park’s first moose calf in 15 years will get a name reflective of its Northwest heritage. Keepers have narrowed the field to Willow, Aspen and Lily.
Voting is open now at www.nwtrek.org and runs through Aug. 31. Northwest Trek staff plan to announce the name Sept. 1, which marks the beginning of the rut, or breeding season, of hooved animals such as deer, elk and moose.
The moose calf has been venturing around the park’s 435-acre Free Roaming Area with her mother, Connie moose. She is expected to nurse through the summer and stay with her mother through the rut this fall. Over the past two weeks, visitors on the Northwest Trek tram have reported regular sightings of the pair.
“There’s a lot of excitement among our staff and visitors about the calf,” Northwest Trek Deputy Director Alan Varsik said. “It’s a rare experience to see a moose and her calf up close. We couldn’t be more pleased with how they’re doing.”
The calf’s mother (named for park cofounder Connie Hellyer) and father Ellis (named for former longtime park Deputy Director Dave Ellis) were brought to Northwest Trek in 2012 as orphans. The park is also home to another female moose.
It’s been a busy baby season in the meadow at Northwest Trek, where the moose calf joins bighorn lambs, Roosevelt elk calves, bison calves, fawns, goslings, and a caribou calf. The park’s 50-minute Discovery Tram Tour winds along the meadow, giving visitors a glimpse of many of these newborns as they grow and gain steadier legs alongside their mothers.
Northwest Trek is open from 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily. For more information, visit www.nwtrek.org.
