A hungry moose was caught on camera entering a movie theater in Kenai, Alaska before leaving with a Happy Meal at McDonald’s.
Employees of Kenai Cinemas were surprised when the animal entered the building last week and began rummaging through the trash.
In a video posted to social media, a staff member can be heard saying, “He’s not going,” as the moose sticks its snout into an old box of Happy Meal.
The theater manager said he thought the animal was attracted by the smell of popcorn.
It comes just weeks after a moose broke through an automatic door into the lobby of an Anchorage hospital and began eating some potted plants.
Kenai Cinemas employees were in for a big surprise when the animal entered the building
The animal rummages through the trash before picking up a discarded McDonald’s Happy Meal
A video posted on social media shows the animal walking in the front door from outside, with an employee saying “what should I do” and repeating “no, no, no”.
The curious moose hesitantly enters the theater, seems to sniff the air, and then begins rummaging through the trash across the room.
You can hear the employee laughing and saying, “I can’t do anything. Get out, that’s where you belong. You can’t watch a movie.”
Additional footage shows workers leading the animal out with the box of Happy Meals still stuck to its snout.
Theater manager Ricky Black told the Anchorage Daily News his first reaction was to laugh at the situation.
“She was behind the counter,” he said of the clerk. “She was not in immediate danger from the moose. And she says, “Stop laughing. This is serious.”
He said he thought the smell of popcorn attracted the animal. The theater’s front door was open to let in fresh air while the clerk cleaned the popcorn machine, which was giving off a lot of heat — and the distinctive smell of popcorn, Black explained.
“It could probably smell that popcorn. It’s just a very common reaction for anything or anyone who walks into theaters,” he added.
Nick Fowler, a wildlife biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, told the outlet that this is the time of year when elk are at their “most nutrient dense.”
“I don’t know if a Happy Meal is good for a moose or not. However, I can say with confidence that it is not in his natural diet,” Fowler said.
He added that in such situations “almost always the best thing is to make sure there is enough distance and we don’t approach the animal.”
The animal was caught on video surveillance as it entered the theater through the open front door
The employee can be seen crouching as the giant animal wanders through the cinema lobby
It comes weeks after another moose entered the medical facility at Providence Health Park in Anchorage and had to be escorted away by security forces.
The young moose headed straight for some potted plants as hospital staff and citizens took pictures and video of the unusual sighting.
When hospital security arrived, the moose stared down along with some guards.
Randy Hughes, the hospital’s director of security, said, “It’s not every day that a moose goes into a building, so everyone was excited to take pictures and things like that.”
To prevent the large animal from running wild, people helped form a circle while others held on to some branches of the plants to try to trick the moose into the automatic doors.
No one was injured and the animal eventually walked away before going limp in the snow in front of the building.
A moose went to an Alaskan hospital earlier this month and had to be escorted out
No one was injured and the large animal appeared to be cooperating with hospital staff
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James is an author and travel journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a love for exploring new cultures and discovering unique destinations, James brings his readers on a journey with him through his articles.
