Moose Samples Buttery Popcorn in Alaska Movie Theater

In Alaska, a moose wandered into the premises of a movie theater to eat the buttery popcorn from the concession stand.

On April 19, an unusual guest strolled into an Alaskan movie theater to take a look around. It was a curious moose.

The moose can be seen entering the lobby and munching on some popcorn and food left in the trash in security footage from the theater, as well as in social media videos. The moose then quickly leaves the area.

The moose allegedly entered Jasmynne Palmer's place of employment at the Kenai Cinemas. User @brekkinsproul posted a video to TikTok, garnering over 320,000 likes.

Moose in Alaska

The moose, which stands over six feet from hoof to shoulder and weighs somewhere around 1,000 to 1,400 pounds, is the largest species of deer. Their enormous, distinctive antlers can measure up to 6 feet and 6 inches in width. Typically, one can find them all over Canada and in the northern US states, which include Alaska. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game estimates that Alaska alone is home to between 175,000 and 200,000 moose.

Moose Samples Buttery Popcorn from the Movie Theater

In the video, a moose is seen consuming some leftover popcorn and pieces of a McDonald's Happy Meal that were found in the trash. Then, as the theater staff shouts at it to leave, it does so, carrying the meal box on its snout as it meekly goes into the parking lot.

The buttery aroma of popping corn probably attracted the moose to the theater, which it then entered in search of food.

Ricky Black, the theater manager, said via Anchorage Daily News that the moose could smell the popcorn. In the videos, Black can be seen attempting to chase the creature away.

Moose typically graze on vegetation and leaves in the spring and summer and consume large amounts of twigs throughout the colder months.

Nick Fowler, a wildlife biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, says that a boxed meal is not a natural part of a moose's diet.

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Feeding Moose in Alaska

In Alaska, it is against the law to actively feed moose because they could turn hostile or approach an unsuspecting person in search of food if they are suddenly not fed when they expect to be. According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, moose that have already been fed are more inclined to charge at people, including kids, which could result in severe injuries and possibly necessitate the moose's death.

Moose attacks on humans are more frequent than bear and wolf attacks combined, which is surprising. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game advises hiding behind something substantial to deflect a moose charge. If the moose knocks you over, you should curl up into a ball and cover your head with your hands in case it starts to stomp or kick.

To keep a safe distance from the moose and avoid approaching it, according to Fowler, is the best thing we can generally do in circumstances like this.

Additionally, he stressed the importance of not assuming that a young animal showing what may be considered non-aggressive behavior won't be involved in a negative human-wildlife interaction, Newsweek reports.