An adult male feeding a young moose in an outdoor setting on a paved road with yellow and white markings, likely during daytime. 5:23

The bikers who shared Gatorade with a baby moose

At first, one rider saw only a head and took it for a bunny rabbit. It turned out to be a baby moose, alone on the road. more

The calf is so young he is still messy from birth. Nobody can see his mother, and that makes stopping a gamble. A mother moose wouldn't take kindly to a group of bikers crowding her baby. The men stop anyway.

Bikers have a rough image, thanks in part to TV. These ones spend their stop fussing over a tiny moose. “Snuggle in here,” one of them says. Someone suggests holding a bottle upside down beside a bike to see if he'll latch on.

The bottle holds Gatorade, and Kevin is in charge of it. Soon the calf is taking a drink, then wanting more. A little sugar will pump him right up, one rider says, and he tells the calf he will be ready for a marathon in five minutes.

An adult male feeding a young moose in an outdoor setting on a paved road with yellow and white markings, likely during daytime. The headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
At first, one rider saw only a head and took it for a bunny rabbit.

The flies are bad, and the men try to keep them off him. One rider plays the calf's voice: “You look big. You must have something to feed me.” The answer comes back fast: “This is all you’re getting, buddy.”

One of the men points out that the drink has salt in it. Up close, the calf doesn't seem afraid of them at all. Someone finds he has teeth, and they decide he is more than a day old.

A man in sunglasses and a jacket leans toward a young moose on a paved road near yellow lines. A headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
One rider leans down over the moose calf on the pavement.

Talk turns to the rescuers, and someone puts in a flavor request: “preferably grape.” Another rider decides he is going to need to wash his pants.

A foot in a dark shoe stands on gravel ground, with shadows nearby. A headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
Caring for a calf this new is messy work, and one rider says his pants will need a wash.

One guess puts the calf at 50 pounds, maybe not even 30. “All bones,” someone adds. Kevin keeps at the bottle, waiting for the calf to chew before he squeezes, until someone tells him, “Good job, Kevin.”

Then comes the most sensible line of the day: “We better get them off the middle of the road.” Viewers still ask where the calf ended up, and no one can say. The last anyone knows, he has some Gatorade in his belly and a group of bikers around him.