The Cow Bay Moose Is a Grandiose Creation of a Talented Sculptor (7 photos)

This massive 13-foot concrete moose on the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, is the most colossal of the artist's colossal creations.





When the Cow Bay Moose first appeared on the beach at Cow Bay in Nova Scotia in 1959, its creator, who became the nation's favorite artist, Winston Bronnum, was 30 years old. He had long been a self-taught carver and sculptor, but what began as a hobby of creating tabletop animals soon became a mission to amaze, surprise and inspire.



Cow Bay Moose

For the next three decades, he did just that, creating life-size and larger-than-life animal sculptures as landmarks and roadside attractions. It all started with a moose on the beach. When the moose was unveiled to the world, he opened up a collection of several Bronnum beach animals.





Winston Bronnum with his creation

Unfortunately, the other creations did not survive the onslaught of the elements. This lone surviving moose has survived more than one storm, and now, after all these years, it has found a second life thanks to the generosity of spirit and talent of Nova Scotia muralist Linda McConnell.



Cow Bay Moose

She took the time and effort to give the giant a realistic paint job, replacing the strange, faded orange-coral color. In addition to McConnell, Cow Bay Moose has a loyal group of fans known as the "Friends of the Moose," who have been raising money for his upkeep since the 1990s.



Broken Racehorse

Bronnum is known for creating a number of other giant concrete creations, including Jumbo the elephant in Ontario, and Broken Racehorse Boast and Shediac the lobster in New Brunswick.



Shediac Lobster

His crowning achievement was the studio and the fantastical animal kingdom - an animal-themed playground called "Animaland".