Moose mainly browse on trees and shrubs, but they will also sample something new. They have a soft spot for pumpkins left out after Halloween.

As many as 1,000 moose may enter Anchorage in winter, snowfall here is lower than its surrounding hills and gardens offer a tempting spread of food. In fact, moose were in this area long before the city existed. And Anchorage inhabitants are understanding of their local vandals.

Unfortunately, this tolerance sometimes comes at a cost. Christmas decorations are a minor inconvenience to a hungry moose.

But there’s another reason why the city center is a tempting winter hang-out—it’s one place where their major predator, the wolf, rarely dares to go.

It may seem strange, but human habitats are often safer for wildlife than the real wild.

Black skimmers usually nest on beaches, but not here in Texas.