TELOS TOWNSHIP, Maine — A black bear chased a moose calf along a remote road in northern Maine during a fishing trip last month, before a couple intervened by driving their vehicle between the animals, allowing the calf to escape and later reunite with its mother, according to accounts from the pair and media reports.
Todd and Elvia Malcolm were travelling in Telos Township in Piscataquis County when they stopped to observe a female moose near a wooded area, according to the couple’s statements to the Associated Press. The situation escalated moments later when a moose calf and a black bear emerged from the trees, with the bear pursuing the calf along the roadside.
Todd Malcolm told the Associated Press he accelerated his pickup truck to place it between the predator and the calf, describing the action as a split-second decision.
“I knew what I had to do, and I just did it,” Malcolm said, according to AP reporting.
The maneuver caused the bear to break off the chase and retreat into the woods, allowing the calf to continue toward its mother. Elvia Malcolm, who photographed the encounter from inside the vehicle, later described seeing the calf reunite with the adult moose after the incident.
Wildlife officials were not immediately reported to have taken enforcement action or issued statements specific to the encounter, which occurred on a remote logging road area commonly frequented by wildlife in northern Maine.
Bear–moose interactions are a known but relatively uncommon occurrence in the region, according to wildlife accounts cited in prior reporting on similar incidents. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has previously advised the public to avoid approaching or interfering with wild animals, particularly during predator–prey encounters.
After confirming the calf’s apparent safety and reunion with its mother, the couple continued their trip to their fishing destination, according to their account.
No injuries to humans or animals were reported in connection with the incident.
