No longer content with eating bark, leaves and other natural plants, a moose strolled into an Alaska movie theatre recently and helped itself to some hot, buttery popcorn.
The unusual guest was filmed last Wednesday night, sniffing around the concession counter at Kenai Cinemas before moving in on an abandoned tray of popcorn.
After its snack, it also dipped into a garbage can, pulling out a McDonald’s Happy Meal box. It eventually wandered out of the theatre with the fast food box stuck over its snout.
Ricky Black, the general manager at Kenai Cinemas, told NBC affiliate KTUU that staff had opened an outside door to allow in some fresh air, which likely drew the moose into the building.
“We prop the door open quite often during this time of the year because it’s just so nice outside, and you want to let some of that fresh air in. Our popcorn had him enticed,” Black said. “He was pretty focused on that. I guess he was tired of eating bark for the winter.”
An employee filmed the interaction, posting the video to TikTok. She can be heard asking Black to help her and, later, trying to shoo the moose out the door.
Nick Fowler, a wildlife biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, told the Anchorage Daily News that human food isn’t always good for moose.
“I do not know if a Happy Meal is good for a moose or not. However, I can confidently say that it’s not in its natural diet,” Fowler said.