A Maine couple thought they were going to photograph a moose. Instead, a calf and a bear burst out of the woods, giving them a few seconds to decide whether to intervene
A quiet fishing trip in Maine, US, turned into a dramatic wildlife rescue when a couple found themselves watching a black bear chase a moose. With just seconds to react, the man drove his truck towards the animal to end the chase, while his wife unknowingly captured the tense moment on her phone.Todd and Elvia Malcolm were looking forward to a calm day of fishing when they set out for the town of Troos, Maine. Instead, they find themselves in the middle of a race between a frightened moose calf and a black bear.As they drove through the area, the couple spotted a female moose standing near the edge of the woods. “Get your phone, because you’re going to get a chance to take a photo of the moose,” Todd turned to his wife and said, according to the AP. Todd later recalled what he said to Elvia, the AP reported.The moose soon found its way onto a trail, but did not disappear into the forest. The couple recalled that she seemed restless and grunted as if calling for her calf.Then a young moose burst out of the woods, followed closely by a large black bear. The frightened calf ran straight to the couple’s parked truck.
a split second decision
Todd said he’s convinced the bears will get the calf if nothing changes. Without hesitation, he started the truck and drove between the bear and the calf. His goal is not to hit the bear but to force it to give up the chase.The plan worked. Startled by the approaching truck, the bear jumped to the side and disappeared into the woods, giving the calf enough time to escape. “I knew what I had to do and I just did it,” Todd said.To Elvia, those few seconds of the chase felt much longer. “My heart was racing because I didn’t want to see the bear get the calf,” she said.She watched the calf run past the truck and then spotted it walking down the road with its mother. I felt an immediate sense of relief seeing the two together again.
Surprises in your camera roll
It wasn’t until the excitement subsided that Alvia flipped through the photos she’d taken inside the truck. At first, she thought the blurry shapes on the screen were just insects on the windshield.“When I started seeing them, I really thought I might be like a bug on the windshield,” she said. Instead, she captured clear action footage of a bear chasing a calf through the front windshield.After ensuring the mother moose and her calf were safely reunited, the couple continued on to the fishing spot they had planned to visit that morning. They ended the day catching brook trout.
