Those of us who live in the Northland never tire of seeing moose. Grand Marais photographer Kathy Gray Anderson spotted this cow near Devil Track Lake several times last week. Other Devil Track Lake area residents have seen the cow with a calf—an added treat. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has resumed its moose monitoring program and cows like this may become part of the study.
The quest to figure out what is killing Minnesota’s moose continues. The moose population has fallen from an estimated 8,840 in 2006 to an estimated 2,760 in 2012. And while researchers are attempting to put together pieces of the puzzle, they don’t have all of the answers yet.
To further their efforts, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced on Monday, February 3, 2014 that it would add 52 adult moose to its morbidity study. The DNR has begun capturing and fitting moose with GPS collars.
Last year researchers fitted 111 moose with high tech GPS collars and stomach implants that alert them when a moose’s heart stops beating or when the animal has stopped moving for six hours—indicators that the moose had died. At that juncture biologists try to get to the deceased animal within 24 hours before predators or scavengers get to it, or before it decomposes too badly and a determination of the cause of death can’t be made.
Over the last year 22 radio collared moose have perished, a mortality rate of about 20 percent. This is higher than non-hunting mortality rates found elsewhere that runs 8-12 percent, said Michelle Carstensen, DNR wildlife health program supervisor.
Of the 22 moose that perished, eight were killed by wolves and three died by infection and disease caused by a wolf bite. Parasites and disease killed 10 and one died from an infection caused by a compound leg fracture. One died from unknown reasons.
Four moose also died due to the stress of being captured and collared, a mortality rate of 3 percent for that phase of the study, which is less than the average morbidity rate for a capture/collar phase, said Carstensen.
Meanwhile, 74 percent of the 49 moose calves captured and collared last spring have died, 22 of those killed by predators with 11 deaths attributed to the trauma of being captured and collared.
Glenn DelGiudice, Ph.D. research scientist/ moose project leader forest wildlife populations and research group, leads the calf mortality study. DelGiudice said that 50 more calves would be captured and collared for study this spring and has indicated that researchers may wait longer than the 24- 36 hours after birth to catch and collar the babies this time around.
Dr. Seth Moore is leading the moose study in Grand Portage for the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. He and his colleagues have begun capturing and collaring 16 moose this winter. Moore works in conjunction with his fellow DNR researchers and all parties involved share findings.
Due to declining numbers the state cancelled its moose hunt last fall. Grand Portage also cancelled its subsistence moose hunt on 1854 ceded tribal lands, as did Fond du Lac Band of Chippewa.
Leave a Reply