It’s a strange story only Canadians would appreciate: A Northern Ontario man found a newborn moose next to a highway -- and took it to Tim Hortons before dropping it off at a local animal shelter.
An online video of the baby moose shows it outside the Tim Hortons in Lively, Ont., surrounded by a few curious residents who shower the animal with pets and affection.
Stephane Desgroseillers said he found the moose next to a local highway in the Greater Sudbury Area. He said it was clearly a newborn, as it was damp and wobbly on its legs.
Desgroseillers tried to direct it into the woods, but without success. “The little calf kept coming back out on the road and wanting to go into the traffic,” he said.
The animal shelter he tried to reach was closed, so he took the moose home for the night. The next day, Desgroseillers stopped for coffee at Tim Hortons before taking the young moose to the Wild at Heart Animal Refuge Centre.
“I basically felt blessed to be in a position to have crossed a path with that little animal. I felt I need to share that with other people,” he said.
Shirley Erkila took the video of the moose outside the Tim Hortons, which she later posted to Facebook under the title “Only in Canada: True Canadian Experience.” The video has been shared nearly 17,000 times.
“It was a thrill of a lifetime,” she said. “You know, because, when would I ever see a baby moose?”
The 25-pound moose is now being cared for at the Wild at Heart Animal Refuge Centre in Lively, Ont. Staff have determined it’s a male, and was only one day old when found.
