ANCHORAGE, ALASKA (Reuters) - If you're a moose with a baby on the way, a parking lot will just have to do.

"I guess you can't choose the moment, where it's gonna be," said one shopper.

For shoppers at a Lowe's hardware store in East Anchorage, it was a rare treat to see mother moose give birth, then spend hours getting to know her newborn calf.

"I've been here 50 years, this is unbelievable, in a parking lot," added another shopper.

"The moose is just going its thing," said a little boy at the scene.

The store's staff created a safe zone to give mother and calf some privacy. The pair eventually wandered off and at last report were doing well.