Moose Jaw animal rehab preparing orphaned moose calves for life in the wild
An animal rehabilitation centre in Moose Jaw has taken a pair of orphaned moose calves under its wing.
Wild & Cared Free Wildlife Rehabilitation Inc. is a non-profit organization founded in 2009. They take in orphaned and injured wildlife with the goal of returning them to the wild.
The organization has an abundance of wildlife creatures in its care, including fawns, owls, hawks, merlins and coyotes.
But, two of their more animated animals are a pair of moose calves — Chocolate Mousse and Marty Moose.
Roger Blager, who helps run the organization with his wife Melanie Blager, says they believe the calves come from the Weyburn-area. They arrived at the centre just days after being born and are now a few months old.
Roger says one of the biggest challenges is feeding them.
"They drink enormous amounts of milk," he said.
They have to order specialty moose milk from a supplier, while also having enough branches for the calves to enjoy a leafy green snack.
"They seem to already know how big they're going to be, even though they're relatively small," said Roger. "They do tend to be a little bit pushy," he said with a laugh.
He says the calves could be released as early as this fall, but it will likely be in the spring.
Melanie, who is a veterinarian and has been rescuing animals since she was a kid, will work with wildlife authorities to decide when the calves should be released.
Roger says the organization does not receive government funding, so they have set up a GoFundMe page to help cover the costs of housing the baby moose.
They are also tracking the calves' journey on social media, often posting updates on Mondays.
