Hey, that's no moose or bison, said employees of Andrew Lake Lodge in far northern Alberta when they saw the hairy beast browsing in the spruce forest. It was a musk ox, and it was grazing hundreds of miles south of its normal tundra range, reports CBC News.
Lodge owner Dan Wettlaufer ... said it's the furthest south the animals have been seen in [western Canada]. As musk oxen are herd animals, there could be more in the area, he said.
It's unclear why the animal traveled so far out of its usual habitat, but they do seem to be migrating into the tree line. Last year, a herd was spotted near Fort Resolution, N.W.T., south of Great Slave Lake.
One thing southbound musk oxen will have to contend with is dogs, including the lodge's pets, Wettlaufer told CBC.
"They had a little scuff-up in the trees and the musk ox charged at them and pushed them out," he said.
"Dust was flying and the dogs are retreating ... lots of excitement for all involved and luckily no one had any injuries to bear from it," he said.
Read more at CBC: Musk ox sighted in northern Alberta
