Fewer Moose Seen Around Thunder Bay, Scientists Investigate Why
Moose used to be a common sight in the forests around Thunder Bay. But now, it’s much harder to spot them.
Brent Patterson, a senior scientist with Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, is working with a team to figure out why the moose population is shrinking. In some areas of northwestern Ontario, the number of moose has dropped by up to 50% over the past 20 years. Around Thunder Bay, the decline is even worse.
Patterson is helping lead a project where they place GPS collars on moose to track their movements.
“These collars send us the moose’s location through satellites, so we can see where they are in real time,” he said.
If a moose dies, the collar sends an alert so the team can go to the location quickly to find out what happened.
“We can usually get there within a few hours to investigate,” Patterson added.
A recent survey in Wildlife Management Unit 13 — an area about 13,000 square kilometers around Thunder Bay — found only about 1,700 moose. That’s far below the province’s goal of 3,300 to 4,400 moose in that area.
“There has been a big drop in numbers,” Patterson said.
Calves at Risk
So far this winter, no moose deaths were reported. But in the past few weeks, a few moose have died, which surprised the team.
“You’d think things would improve as winter ends and the forest starts to green up,” said Patterson.
While most adult moose are surviving, many calves are not. Patterson said they’re especially interested in finding out what’s happening to the young moose.
“When we look at how many calves are born and how many are still with their mothers by fall or winter, the number is very low,” he explained.
Wolves and bears are the main predators killing moose, especially calves. But Patterson’s team is also studying other reasons why calves might be easier for predators to catch. These could include changes in the forest and habitat that affect how moose live and move.
Need for a Bigger Plan
Mark Ryckman from the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters says there needs to be a bigger, more complete look at how moose are managed.
He wants experts to study all the possible reasons for the decline — like predators, disease, habitat changes, and forest management. He also says Indigenous communities should be more involved in the process, since they rely on healthy moose populations.
Ryckman says that fewer moose means fewer hunting opportunities and a loss of the economic benefits that moose hunting brings.
“Many hunters I talk to are starting to lose trust in the government’s moose management plan,” he said.
So far, about 100 moose have been fitted with tracking collars through the ministry’s project. Some of the collars also have cameras.
Patterson says it could take a few more years to fully understand why moose numbers are going down, but the research is a key step in finding answers.
