Zeus was acquired October 23, 1999 .  Zeus was born in northern Alberta and his mother was killed illegally when he was still very young.  He was not yet weaned from his mother's milk and as a result had to be bottle-raised.  When moose are abandoned and hand-raised in Alberta, the wildlife authorities feel that if released, their survival rate is very low.  As a result Zeus will not be released back into the wild and will instead live out his life here.

Moose (Alces alces)

Dining and Dwelling

The moose is primarily a browser.  During the winter they eat shrubs, twigs and the bark of saplings.  The summer months are more plentiful with leaves, grasses, foliage and large quantities of aquatic plants.  The aquatic plants help the moose to restore the sodium levels that are depleted over the winter. 

Moose can be found in wooded areas, swamps, lakeshores adjacent to forest and even tundra.

Life and Death

The moose will breed late in September through early October and give birth 8 months later, usually between May and June.  Young weigh 11-16kg (24.2lbs) and gain about 1kg (2.2 lbs) per day while nursing.  Calves remain dependent on the mother for at least one year.  Calf mortality is very high; almost 50% of the mortality rate is due to predation by bears and wolves.  The cow will evict her surviving calf just before bearing a new calf.  The young calves take 4-5 years to reach sexual and full physical maturity.

Wolves area major predator of the moose; also black bears, wolverines and cougars.  People are another dominant predator of the moose, frequently killing them with automobiles as well as hunting them.

That's Amazing

• Moose have the heaviest antlers of any animal on earth
• Moose can swim very well on the surface of, or under the water
• Moose can run faster than horses