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
    Operation Kid Forward: What's it like to be a pilot for a day?
    • Local news

    Operation Kid Forward: Experiencing a Day as a Pilot

    SAVANNAH, Ga. () — Flying a plane is a rare experience, and…
    • Internewscast
    • July 11, 2025
    Texas flooding: Wildlife rescue shelter takes in over 200 animals
    • Local news

    Texas Flooding: Wildlife Rescue Center Provides Sanctuary to More Than 200 Animals

    AUSTIN (KXAN) – As Central Texas grappled with historic flooding over the…
    • Internewscast
    • July 10, 2025
    Gamers speak out on Polk County ‘swatting’ calls: 'There's no reason to do all that'
    • Local news

    Polk County Gamers Condemn ‘Swatting’ Incidents: ‘It’s Completely Unnecessary’

    POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — A video game is leading to real-world…
    • Internewscast
    • July 11, 2025
    EU unveils AI code of practice to help businesses comply with bloc's rules
    • Local news

    EU Introduces AI Guidelines to Aid Businesses in Adhering to Regulations

    LONDON – On Thursday, the European Union unveiled a code of practice…
    • Internewscast
    • July 10, 2025
    Rubio to meet China's foreign minister in Malaysia as US-Chinese tensions mount
    • Local news

    Rubio Set to Meet China’s Foreign Minister in Malaysia Amid Escalating US-China Tensions

    KUALA LUMPUR – U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is concluding his…
    • Internewscast
    • July 11, 2025
    Thousands of South Carolina voters marked as 'inactive' following registration check
    • Local news

    South Carolina Voter Registry Update Marks Thousands as ‘Inactive’

    In Columbia, South Carolina, September 170,000 residents have been labeled as “inactive”…
    • Internewscast
    • July 10, 2025
    Detention facilities operating over-capacity, new data shows
    • Local news

    New Data Reveals Detention Centers Exceeding Capacity Limits

    McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) — A recent report indicates that migrants detained…
    • Internewscast
    • July 10, 2025
    Man sentenced for killing girlfriend, framing it as suicide
    • Local news

    Man Sentenced for Murdering Girlfriend and Staging It as a Suicide

    Editor’s Note: This article contains discussions of suicide. Reader discretion is advised.…
    • Internewscast
    • July 10, 2025
    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

    Trump Faces Backlash for Questioning Liberian President’s English Proficiency

    () President Donald Trump has faced criticism after he asked the president…
    • Internewscast
    • July 10, 2025
    SPD arrests man in connection with May battery
    • Local news

    SPD Detains Suspect Linked to May Assault

    The Savannah Police Department (SPD) detained an individual on Wednesday regarding a…
    • Internewscast
    • July 10, 2025
    Dershowitz says he knows Epstein client list names
    • Local news

    Dershowitz Claims to Be Aware of Names on Epstein’s Client List

    Lawyer Alan Dershowitz on Thursday said he knows the list of names…
    • Internewscast
    • July 11, 2025
    Perplexity AI Teams With Coinbase To Boost Crypto Intelligence
    • Business

    Perplexity AI Partners with Coinbase to Enhance Cryptocurrency Insights

    Perplexity AI has partnered with Coinbase (Photo Illustration by Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA…
    • Internewscast
    • July 11, 2025
    Marcus Stroman's 'gritty performance' kept Yankees in it early
    • US

    Marcus Stroman’s Determined Effort Keeps Yankees Contending Initially

    Late-game Yankees heroics? Sure, but how about another “gritty” five-inning start from…
    • Internewscast
    • July 11, 2025
    Conflicting officials, social posts leave evacuation delay questions in Kerr County flooding
    • Local news

    Mixed Signals and Social Media Posts Spark Questions About Evacuation Delays in Kerr County flooding

    KERR COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) – Social media posts piece together a timeline…
    • Internewscast
    • July 11, 2025
    Man robbed friend who came to buy PlayStation: Police
    • Crime

    Police Report: Man Allegedly Robs Friend Over PlayStation Purchase

    Background: Bodycam footage of Nicholas Flores being arrested (Lee County…
    • Internewscast
    • July 11, 2025
    Internewscast Journal
    • Home
    • Privacy Policy
    • DMCA Notice
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Guest Post
    • Support Our Cause
    Copyright 2023. All Right Reserverd.