Brown Bear Carries Live Moose Calf Away

The Circle of Life Continues: Brown Bear Carries Live Moose Calf Away

It's calving season in Alaska, and sights like this brown bear about to make a meal out of a moose calf are not an uncommon occurrence. 

Alaska is home to a very large population of moose and brown bear. While bears are omnivorous and eat everything from fish to roots to berries to grass, moose make up a significant portion of their diet at various times of the year.

Bears do kill and eat a fair number of adult moose season to season. They also scavenge moose killed by hunters as well as those that die from other causes.

However, springtime can turn into a veritable moose smorgasbord for bears. Why? May and early June is when calving season occurs, and the bears eat thousands of moose calves during those few weeks right after they're born, and while they're still relatively vulnerable.

Apparently, this man was driving down a road in Alaska one day and happened to encounter a brown bear that was in the process of carrying a live moose calf away. Watch the video to see what happens, but beware: This is not for the squeamish.

These few weeks in May and June coincide with the time period shortly after bears come out of hibernation and are looking to put some of the weight they lost over the winter back on. So, the bears tend to be especially hungry while the moose calves are most vulnerable to predation.

Depending on the exact area, predators will kill anywhere from 20% to 80% of the moose calves born each year.

Life is rough in nature when you're a prey species and that's particularly true in Alaska.

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NEXT: THESE ARE THE BIGGEST ALASKA BROWN BEAR KILLS BY HUNTERS IN THE RECORD BOOKS