Internewscast Journal
  • Home
  • US News
  • Local News
  • Health
  • People
  • Guest Post
  • Support Our Cause
Internewscast Journal
  • Home
  • US News
  • Local News
  • Health
  • People
  • Guest Post
  • Support Our Cause
Home Local news Alaskan Mother’s Day Tradition: Connecting with Ice Age Survivors on a Farm
  • Local news

Alaskan Mother’s Day Tradition: Connecting with Ice Age Survivors on a Farm

    An Alaska Mother's Day tradition: Mingling with ice age survivors on a farm
    Up next
    He was a professional athlete in peak fitness... then a routine blood test revealed he was suffering from silent killer
    Top Athlete in Prime Health Receives Shocking News from Routine Blood Test
    Published on 11 May 2025
    Author
    Internewscast
    Tags
    • age,
    • Alaska,
    • Alex Trebek,
    • Climate,
    • DAY,
    • Environment,
    • farm,
    • ICE,
    • Lifestyle,
    • Mark Austin,
    • Mingling,
    • Mother039s,
    • Oddities,
    • survivors,
    • tradition,
    • U.S. news,
    • with
    Share this @internewscast.com
    FacebookXRedditPinterest

    PALMER, Alaska – It is one of Alaska’s favorite Mother’s Day traditions, getting up close and personal with animals that have survived the ice age.

    On Sunday, moms can enjoy a special treat at the Musk Ox Farm in Palmer, just an hour’s drive north of Anchorage, with free entry and a complimentary daisy. Visitors will get the chance to see 75 musk oxen, including three playful young calves. A notable resident is an elder bull named Trebek, in honor of the late “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek, who was a supporter of the farm.

    “Who wouldn’t want to spend Mother’s Day with a musk ox mom and the cutest calf you’ve ever seen?” remarked Mark Austin, the farm’s executive director.

    Mother’s Day marks the unofficial start of the summer season for the Musk Ox Farm, which was established in 1964 and relocated several times before settling in Palmer in 1986.

    That move put it on Alaska’s limited road system, provided easier access to grazing land than in tundra communities and it to incorporate educational opportunities at the farm facility, which is dwarfed by the the Talkeetna and Chugach mountain ranges.

    “When we opened the doors here, we started doing Mother’s Day as a grand opening every year,” Austin said.

    He called it a natural decision, celebrating mothers with cute, newborn baby musk oxen on the grounds. So far this year, three baby musk oxen have been born and are on display, and more could be on the way.

    Mother’s Day is the busiest day of the year, attracting more than 1,500 visitors. It is a tradition that now stretches over three generations.

    “It’s a huge, just kind of rite of passage for a lot of people,” Austin said. “If we ever talked about not doing it, there’d be a riot.”

    Musk oxen are ice age survivors.

    “They were running around with saber-toothed tigers and mastodons, and they’re the ones that lived,” Austin said. The herd members all have diverse personalities, he added, and they are crafty, smart and inquisitive.

    Their closest relatives to animals of today would be Arctic goats. Mature musk ox bulls can stand 5 feet (about 1.5 meters) tall and weigh as much as 800 pounds (about 360 kilograms), while female cows are smaller at about 4 feet (about 1.2 meters) and up to 500 pounds (about 230 kilograms), according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s website.

    They are stocky, long-haired animals with a slight hump in their shoulder, a short tail and horns, the website says. The Inupiat call musk ox “itomingmak,” which means “the animal with skin like a beard,” for its long hair hanging nearly to the ground.

    The mammals once roamed across northern Europe, Asia, Greenland and North America before they began to die off. By the 1920s the last remaining ones were in Greenland and Canada.

    Efforts to reintroduce the musk ox to Alaska started in 1934, when 34 were delivered to Fairbanks from Greenland. Since then, the wild population has grown to about 5,000, located throughout the nation’s largest state, Austin said.

    The nonprofit farm welcomes donations from visitors on Sunday. Some people will make a beeline for the baby musk oxen, while others will throw a $100 bill on the counter first.

    “We do like to see the donation, but we truly offer this as an event to the community, as a thank you,” Austin said. “It really gives us a chance to give something back.”

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

    Share this @internewscast.com
    FacebookXRedditPinterest
    You May Also Like
    Rubio meets Russian foreign minister with Ukraine tensions high
    • Local news

    Rubio Engages with Russian Foreign Minister Amid Escalating Ukraine Tensions

    WASHINGTON () Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the United States…
    • Internewscast
    • July 10, 2025
    Freed from ICE detention, Mahmoud Khalil files $20 million claim against Trump administration
    • Local news

    Recently Released from ICE Custody, Mahmoud Khalil Sues Trump Administration for $20 Million

    NEW YORK – One afternoon, Mahmoud Khalil found himself in his Manhattan…
    • Internewscast
    • July 10, 2025
    'Got the baby!': Good Samaritan saves 7-month-old girl abandoned in Little Italy after carjacking
    • Local news

    “Hero Rescues Abandoned 7-Month-Old Girl Following Little Italy Carjacking”

    CHICAGO (WGN) — Last Thursday, Earl Abernathy was stuck in traffic on…
    • Internewscast
    • July 11, 2025
    Secret Service suspended six personnel without pay following Trump assassination attempt
    • Local news

    Six Secret Service Agents Suspended Without Pay After Attempted Assassination on Trump

    The Secret Service has put six individuals on unpaid suspension following an…
    • Internewscast
    • July 10, 2025
    White House budget director accuses Fed chair of violating building rules in renovation
    • Local news

    White House Budget Director Claims Fed Chair Broke Renovation Rules

    WASHINGTON – In a letter sent on Thursday, White House budget director…
    • Internewscast
    • July 10, 2025
    Watch live: Forest Service chief testifies before Senate
    • Local news

    Live Stream: Forest Service Chief Provides Testimony to the Senate

    National Forest Service (NFS) Chief Tom Schultz on Thursday will testify before…
    • Internewscast
    • July 10, 2025
    McCormick County Schools announces clear bookbag policy, registration day event Thursday
    • Local news

    McCormick County Schools Unveils New Transparent Backpack Rule; Join Us for Registration Day this Thursday

    McCORMICK COUNTY, S.C. – The McCormick County School District is introducing a…
    • Internewscast
    • July 10, 2025
    Roy Jenkins Pool reopens to community after severe damage from hurricanes
    • Local news

    Roy Jenkins Pool Welcomes Back Community After Extensive Hurricane Repairs

    DAVIS ISLANDS, Fla., (WFLA) – After 9 months of repairs, the historic…
    • Internewscast
    • July 10, 2025
    Climate change and aerosol pollution made drought inevitable in the Southwest: Study
    • Local news

    Study Finds Drought in the Southwest Inevitable Due to Climate Change and Aerosol Pollution

    (The Hill) – The combined effects of climate change and air pollution…
    • Internewscast
    • July 10, 2025
    Walmart recalls about 850,000 water bottles after 2 people blinded
    • Local news

    Walmart Recalls 850,000 Water Bottles Due to Safety Concerns

    (WHTM) – Walmart is recalling approximately 850,000 Ozark Trail water bottles following…
    • Internewscast
    • July 10, 2025
    Good Samaritan saves baby abandoned after Chicago carjacking
    • Local news

    Chicago Carjacking: Good Samaritan Rescues Abandoned Baby

    CHICAGO (WGN) Last Thursday, Earl Abernathy was stuck in traffic in Chicago…
    • Internewscast
    • July 10, 2025
    Former first lady Michelle Obama speaks at a campaign rally for democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris in Kalamazoo, Mich., on Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
    • Local news

    Michelle Obama Expresses Feeling ‘Absolutely Free’

    (The Hill) – Michelle Obama, the former first lady, who has recently…
    • Internewscast
    • July 10, 2025
    Flood recovery in San Marco faster with new pump station
    • US

    Rapid Flood Recovery in San Marco Boosted by New Pump Station

    A city spokesperson says many streets flooded in Wednesday’s deluge drained in…
    • Internewscast
    • July 11, 2025
    Police are appealing for witnesses to come forward after a girl was hit and run over by a dirt bike in Sydney's far south-west yesterday.
    • AU

    Search for Motorcyclist After Dirt Bike Incident Involving 9-Year-Old Girl

    Police are appealing for witnesses to come forward after a girl was…
    • Internewscast
    • July 11, 2025
    Mom got drunk, fell asleep with newborn, killing him: Police
    • Crime

    Mom Arrested After Tragic Incident: Drunk and Asleep, Infant Suffocates – Police

    Inset: Brennan K. Spencer (Cleveland County Jail). Background: The area in Oklahoma…
    • Internewscast
    • July 11, 2025
    Aaron Judge’s game-ending sac fly leads Yankees to stunning comeback win over Mariners
    • US

    Aaron Judge’s Sacrifice Fly Seals Yankees’ Thrilling Comeback Victory Against Mariners

    The Yankees avoided being on the wrong side of history and then…
    • Internewscast
    • July 11, 2025
    Internewscast Journal
    • Home
    • Privacy Policy
    • DMCA Notice
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Guest Post
    • Support Our Cause
    Copyright 2023. All Right Reserverd.