Mother moose stops by local Lowe's to give birth in the parking lot

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, June 2 (UPI) -- Shoppers at a Lowe's Home Improvement in Alaska were treated to a rare sight: A mother moose giving birth to a calf in the store's parking lot.

Kelsey Marie Mullins, who posted photos and video of the spectacle to Facebook, said the mother moose had a confrontation with a bear, which she reportedly chased up a tree, before she ended up in the Lowe's parking lot to deliver her calf Tuesday.

Witness Katherine Warren, who saw the moose in labor while shopping with her family, said Lowe's employees and security staff from the Tikahtnu Commons shopping center blocked off a section of the parking lot to create a safe zone around the mother and newborn.

"It is exciting, it's a new life, you know, so it's very exciting, but at the other end, she needs her privacy," Warren told KTVA-TV.

Alaska Department of Fish and Game spokesman Ken Marsh said officials were contacted by Anchorage police and wildlife officers were on standby in case the animals appeared to be in need of assistance.

Bystanders said the mother and newborn spent several hours in the parking lot before slowly walking out of the area.