Driver ends traffic jam by carrying stranded moose calf to its waiting mother

A traffic jam in Prince George, British Columbia, turned into an unexpectedly heartwarming wildlife rescue when one driver picked up a stranded baby moose and carried it across the road to its mother.

The moment, captured on video, showed a regular commuter helping clear the backup while reuniting a very young calf with its family.

What's happening?

The clip came from Peden Hill along Highway 16. CBC reported traffic had backed up after a moose calf became trapped by a concrete barrier and could not get over it.

Witnesses said the mother moose and another calf had already made it across, leaving one struggling to follow.

Witness Valerie Johnston, who filmed the scene from traffic, told CBC, "It's not something you see every day, just some guys picking up a baby moose."

In the video, several men try to coax the calf over the barrier before driver Duane Hogberg finally lifts the animal and carries it over to its waiting mother.

Hogberg later said he had not planned to pick up the animal. But once the calf ran toward him and the mother had moved away at a safer distance, he said instinct took over.

He described the calf as "super soft," comparing its fur to a kitten's, and added that it still definitely "smelled like a moose."

Why does this baby moose interaction matter?

Wildlife experts warn that situations involving young animals and protective mothers can quickly become dangerous — or result in an animal's rejection when it is reunited with its own species, as was the case when tourists tried to assist a baby bison at Yellowstone National Park.

Officials generally advise people to call conservation officers instead of approaching distressed wildlife themselves. In this case, witnesses said the mother had moved to the side of the road with the other calf and did not behave aggressively. This interaction also appeared to have no adverse effects on the young moose's acceptance back into the fold.

Roads and animal habitats often overlap, especially as human activity and urban development increase in natural spaces. This overlap contributes to the uptick in wildlife encounters, which can create complications both animals and humans.

What are people saying?

Johnston was shocked to watch the rescue unfold in real time. She said, "[The calves] were so new they could hardly walk." 

She said the comments were "almost all positive" and that "people loved it." It had even reached people stuck further back in the traffic jam who didn't know its cause.

As for Hogberg, he said the whole thing still felt surreal.

"I can't say I ever held a baby moose before," he said.

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