From May 8-15 this year, moose mortality researcher Glen DelGiudice and his crew captured and collared 12 newborn moose calves. Seven (58 percent) of these were abandoned by their mothers. Rather than leaving the calves to meet a natural demise in the wild and recently armed with an ingenious Abandonment Contingency Plan, researchers “recovered” these seemingly motherless calves.
Six of the seven calves were recaptured and sent to zoos in Minnesota and Ohio. Since these six calves didn’t actually die (yet), but were now to languish in captivity, this new technique was considered by DelGiudice as a success over last year.
Last year 11 calves (22 percent) of the 49 collared were abandoned and subsequently died. An additional late season capture of twins this year resulted in the death of one calf and the “off-to-the-zoo recovery” of the other…up the total to 64 percent abandoned this year. How can a three-fold increase in the percentage of calves abandoned be considered a success?
After two years of study researchers have now come to the realization that wolves and bears prey on moose calves, something that most thirdgraders living in moose country already knew.
Researchers have also come to the surprising assumption that to capture and collar moose by helicopter might disrupt bonding of cows and their calves…another astounding revelation!
On a positive note, the general public has been let in on a closely held research secret. A moose cow is technically called a “dam” by professionals. Although I think the term “dam” would more appropriately be used as a descriptive addition prior to the word “researcher” in this case.
One accomplishment made by team DelGiudice was to milk another $600,000 in grant funding from the state legislators who can’t seem to throw enough public money at this fiasco. Armed with these dollars researchers now plan to disrupt pre-calving habitat and calving sites in yet another new area of study. Stay tuned for the dire consequences of this intrusion into the life cycle of our rapidly dwindling moose herd.
Researchers intend to capture and collar another 50-60 calves next year. Funding for additional zoo facilities certainly needs to be appropriated to accommodate “recovered” calves should another 64 percent be abandoned next spring. Thanks to the Abandonment Contingency Plan, after the last dead radio-collared moose has been studied, we may still be able to view a nearly-mooselike creature living in captivity. A tempting reason to visit Ohio.
Bob LaMettry
Grand Marais
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