sorry Dave and Mrs. Connie

well well well..... it has been entirely too long and I am embarrassed how long I let this post go before posting.  Where do I begin?

babies so far that we have had this summer:

2 musk Oxen: see how big they have grown! Tsuni and Nami!
  But wait they were born on May 12th and May 26th which means now they are nearly 2 months old!  They are now getting 4 bottles a day starting at 8AM.  8am 12pm 4 pm and 8pm.  We give them a mixture of milk matrix and foal lac formula.  when they are about a year old we re-introduce them back to the herd.

Photo credit: Doug Lindstrand 

next up...Richtor and Tectonic.  Well Tectonic wasn't being very photogenic.  

Richtor came from Willow,Ak when he was caught by people, placed on a chain and put in the back yard!  Please, please, please, leave wildlife alone even if you think it is injured or orphaned.  Call your local fish and game and let them handle the situation.  90% of the time you see a baby animal; the mom is somewhere nearby.

Moose calf bottles are held daily at 9am 1pm and 5pm (subject to change once older)

photo credit: Doug Lindstrand

but wait there's more......3 elk calves, 12 mallard ducklings, 26 bison calves, and even 1 sitka black tailed deer named "solstice".  Solstice was born to "Solo" and "Leia"  on the longest day of the year in Alaska 6/21.  Leia has been a great mom and we are very excited to have our first Sitka Black Tailed Deer calf born in captivity.  He turned 1 month old yesterday.

 shows you just how good nature's camo can be...

When fawns are born they spend around 2 weeks just laying in the tall grasses in order to conserve energy and hide from predators.

Solstice really enjoys laying on the hill in his enclosure.

all 3 previous photos credit to Doug Lindstrand......where would my blog be with out him.....








just an update on the yearling musk ox calves from last summer.  Remember Chugach and Wrangle?  Well this is Wrangle 1 year 3 months later and about 250 pounds heavier.  Look at those horns!  also do I need to say....photo credit Doug Lindstrand

 Well I can't do a blog without updating you on my fur baby "Zelda".  She must have weighed in at 30lbs the last time I posted about her.  She is at least 55lbs now (the scale broke so I can't weigh her)  and a handful.  how do people raise human babies?  I mean seriously!  Credit to my parents I must have been a handful!

This picture was taken in front of Virgin Creek Water fall.









our next adventure together was hiking up Northface on Alyeska in Girdwood,Alaska.  We were a little tired in the end....

 Then I took my cousin, Lindsay, up to Portage pass hike in Whittier, Alaska.  We did some yoga poses at the top.  ok, ok, so we only did one yoga pose for this picture.  But we look like pros right?

Next adventure....hiking to Barber Cabin.  If you live in Alaska you have to reserve this cabin!  It is amazing!  It is only like a 3 mile hike in and you stay in a cabin on a lake that you can fish for trout in , have a campfire, and a stove fireplace in the cabin.

Our group was a little excited to say the least.

Talk about excited...Jade the red fox was a little excited for intern Hanna to be giving him a snack.  

Today I snapped a few photos of the elk browse feeding.  A daily chore that we do is to cut browse (branches from trees like cottonwoods, alder, and willow), and then feed them to the Elk, musk Oxen, Moose, sitka deer, moose calves, musk ox calves, reindeer,  and porcupine.

This photo was the before the elk noticed we added fresh branches.

still the "before"....but the ducks new something was going on....
















                                                         "after"!!!!!

We also gave our local celebrity his share of the browse...

Well that was a mouthful of a blog and I apologize to Dave at Bird Treatment and learning Center and to Mrs. Connie in Wisconsin for not posting a blog in so long.  I have let yall down and will get better at it now that I have a new house that I am  living in and the baby animals are doing much better.

Goodnight Lower 48,
Erin and Zelda