musk ox farm
Palmer, AlasKa
Luna's Big OXcident is a children's book inspired by Luna, a musk ox on the farm who lost her leg after breaking it. After a year of intense rehab and recovery, it was decided that her story needed to be told! So, we reached out to two local talents to help bring Luna's story to life to celebrate her, and celebrate how beautiful being different can be.
Written by P.T. Custard, with whimsical illustrations by Amanda Rose Warren, Luna’s Big OXcident is a gentle tale about differences, acceptance, and inclusion, with an important lesson for readers of all ages!
P.T. Custard spent her first career as an educational specialist for the National Park Service, US Forest Service, and with museums through the country. She is the author of four previous children’s books including the International Book Award winning The Crowded Backyard. She currently lives in Juneau, Alaska.
With an intuitive perception for the creative arts, Amanda Rose Warren thrives on the energy her work brings to her. Being raised in Alaska the dramatic nature scenes and wildlife inspire most of her pieces. She strives to create a positive emotion with her brave use of colors and contrast. She feels the most fulfilled by her custom orders portraying family, love, and life. You can find her amazing artwork at www.artbyarw.com.
In March, 2020 Luna was found with a badly broken leg. Unfortunately, the break was up too high on her leg for us to fix it, so we decided we would fight and give her a chance by amputating her leg. After a successful surgery, Luna became our first three-legged musk ox, only adding to her already robust character! The next month of healing and relearning how to walk was a hard one, with checks on her every 4 hours, around the clock. She received pain medication morning and night, along with antibiotics, some special treats and bandage changes.
We also made a one of a kind musk ox sling! We would strap her up every day so she could stretch out her legs and start building her muscle mass back up. This also helped her figure out how to move, and where to put her weight so she would be able to walk on her own again. With a little over a month of sling work, we would find her standing all by herself, and eventually hopping around her pen! Within the past year she has completely healed and recovered, even managing to escape from her pen, of course! She is one tough musk ox, and we couldn't be happier that she's still here on the farm with us.