Elvia and Todd Malcolm were heading out for what they expected to be a relaxing day of fishing on Saturday, June 20, near their home in Lincoln, Maine. But when they spotted a female moose along the edge of a wooded area in Telos Township, the couple decided to stop and get a closer look. What unfolded next would test their instincts and compassion.
After parking their truck to watch the moose, the Malcolms noticed the animal seemed agitated and was grunting as if calling to a calf. Suddenly, a moose calf and a large black bear burst out of the trees heading straight toward their vehicle. The scene was as dramatic as it was terrifying.
Todd Malcolm quickly assessed the situation. The bear was in hot pursuit of the vulnerable calf, and in his mind, there was no doubt the predator would catch its prey. He made a split-second decision to intervene. “I put the truck in drive and I just stepped on the gas,” he said, explaining his actions. “I knew what I had to do and I just did it.” His goal was not to harm the bear but simply to position the truck between the bear and the fleeing calf.
The strategy worked. The bear, confronted with the moving vehicle, jumped to the side and disappeared into the woods just as quickly as it had emerged. Todd Malcolm described the moment with understated drama: “Boom, gone, right in the woods.”
Elvia Malcolm’s heart had been racing throughout the ordeal. “I did not want to witness the bear catching the calf,” she said. But her emotions shifted quickly when she saw the outcome. “As soon as the calf got past the truck and we were able to get the bear to give up the chase, I looked up the road and saw that they were together, the mom and the calf.”
The Malcolms verified that the mother moose and her calf had been reunited and were safe before moving on. Despite the intensity of what had just transpired, the couple continued with their original plans, heading to their fishing spot where they caught some brook trout.
Later, Elvia Malcolm reviewed the photos she had captured from inside the vehicle during the chase. She was amazed to discover clear action shots documenting the dramatic encounter. “I really thought I probably got like a bug on the windshield when I started to look at them,” she said. “I took them through the front windshield of the truck. I wasn’t outside the truck. No way was I getting outside the truck.”
The quick thinking and decisive action of the Maine couple had turned a potentially tragic wildlife encounter into a remarkable story of human compassion. By using their vehicle as a shield, the Malcolms had given the moose calf a second chance at life and the chance to reunite with its mother.