Some animal fights are really more of a brief scrap and a lot of posturing. Maybe a few shoves, a yell, then one backs down and it’s all over.
But this fight was the real deal…
Two bull moose in Alaska locked antlers for a brutal 4-minute war over two cows in Alaska, both ending exhausted but one leaving with the victory and two cows to boot.
The video was shot by Rick and Libby Libbey, wildlife photographers who split their time between New Hampshire and Alaska, who took a trip up to the far north to capture some incredible shots of wildlife, and man did they ever accomplish that goal.
They described the encounter in the video’s description.
“A mature bull keeps his two cows close when a younger bull sees them and approaches from a distance. The bigger bull will not tolerate his presence, and they start their head wag/size each other up move across the field.
Despite the one being smaller, he suddenly makes his move, and for the next several minutes, they battle with ferocity, pushing each other up and down the hillside, antlers clacking, hair and hooves flying.
At one point they get locked and while they catch their breath and try to pull apart, I had to run with the camera on to get closer. When I got to a better vantage, they had slammed/crashed into a stand of alders. The audio was on, so you can hear it. No video for that part.
Then after a minute of utter silence, wondering if they were both alive in there, the loser, bigger bull, comes out first. After he moves off, the winner/underdog emerges and walks off the victor, heading to the cows. The loser then stands downhill gasping for breath, a royal tine snapped and hanging, scuffed with antler scrapes all over. (But he is fine.)
It’s tough to film in such high winds, and getting a fight recorded is not easy either. This lasted a while, we were very happy to be able to get this. Enjoy!”
In nature, it’s rare that the young buck (figuratively) is able to take out the more seasoned elder in a physical confrontation, but as always, you just never know what you’re going to see in nature.
Incredible footage, incredible animals, just absolutely incredible.
Feeling extra humbled today after watching this.