iN PHOTOS: Moose family visits Vernon horse farm
A family of moose who moved into the woods beside a horse farm in Vernon is drawing interest and delight, and a photographer is capturing them with his camera.
Predator Ridge resident Mark Lawrence, who boards horses at Fitjamyri Farm, is capturing the unique and sometimes comical interactions between the moose and farm animals.
“In the paddock where we have our four horses adjacent to the forest, the moose come through and this is the first time they have come so close to our horses,” he said. “All the horses stand in a row and blow with their noses and then they spook and run off, and run back and forth to see them.”
Lawrence first spotted the moose family peeking out of the trees at them about two weeks ago and they appear to be sticking around, to the delight of many who spot them. There are two cows, two bulls and a baby.
Lawrence is at the farm every other day observing and photographing.
“It was so exciting as I’ve never seen them (moose) in the wild feeding on bushes,” he said. “It was fascinating and I went nuts with my camera. I got a shot of two bulls head-to-head. It is fascinating to see them communicating.”
Lawrence said the people on the farm are excited about having the moose family around but it is difficult to spot them.
“The moose hide and don’t come into the open,” he said. “With patience and a big lens I can capture them. The moose are interested in getting at the horses hay so sometimes they come close to the fence line.”
READ MORE: LLAMAS IN LIMBO: Okanagan sanctuary needs help
Lawrence first started photography at an art school long ago, and when he later got into horse jumping, started taking photos for horse shows. He enjoys photographing the beautiful Icelandic horses at Fitjamyri Farm which breeds and sells them, especially when the moose family is nearby.
“Our horses go on alert and snort because they can see them and smell them,” he said. “It keeps all the horses excited – they love having them around. It is fun to watch.”
READ MORE: TRENDING NOW: Close call with speeding moose
Moose are the largest members of the deer family and the tallest land mammals in North America, with the adult males weighing between 400 and 600 kilograms, according to WildSafeBC. They live in the central and northern Interior and the boreal forests in the province, which includes the north, Cariboo-Chilcotin, Thompson-Okanagan and Kootenay regions.
The big beasts are not generally aggressive and avoid urban areas and they continue to be an important species for rural communities and Indigenous peoples in the province, said WildSafeBC.
Go here to see more of Mark Lawrence’s photography.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Shannon Ainslie or call 250-819-6089 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.
We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.
