graphic of a cow moose and calf by Martha Minchak, Rhode Island

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Adopt-A-Moose

May–July 2000 update for D0982

hoof.gif May - July locations

MOOSE MOVEMENT

animated mooseD0982 was alive and well as of a survey flight flown on November 14, 2000. She has just been located six times since April: 3 times in May, twice in June, and once in July. The big news is that she did not have a calf this year. She was seen five times and each time her yearling calf from last year was with her. This is a good sign she wasn't pregnant. If she had given birth to a new calf, she likely would have chased off last year's calf. It is encouraging, though, that her yearling is still alive and well. Look at her home range map, she made some big moves in June.

RESEARCH UPDATES (May through mid-November 2000):

sad face sad face sad face sad face Four research moose died between May and the beginning of November.
Following are the necropsy summaries:

May 4: Viking Agricultural Area cow captured in February 1997. Her collar was heard on mortality mode on May 7. This moose was another victim to parasites and/or disease. She was very thin and appeared starved. Some of her hair was rubbed off from her shoulders and belly from scratching off winter ticks. There were many internal parasites. A tape worm cyst and a liver fluke were found on the right lung. There was a lot of scar tissue on that lung as well as on the lining of the heart. The liver was of normal size and didn't appear to have many liver fluke cysts. This cow was not pregnant.

September 23: Viking Agricultural Area cow also captured in February 1997. She was lying next to the highway between Thief River Falls and Warren. She was so sick she didn't move when the Highway Patrol tried to shoo her away. She was shot because of her condition and the potential of her causing a vehicle accident. A necropsy was not performed because no one with training was available, but a tooth was removed for aging.

October 18: Red Lake WMA cow captured in March 1997. She had been hit by a car, and her hind leg was broken. It was evident she had been laying in one place for several days, and neighbors thought she had been hit over a week ago. She had to be shot because she could not get up. Deer can sometimes live with just three good legs, but a moose needs all four. Aside from the injured leg she appeared to be in good condition. She had produced a calf which was still with her.

November 14: Viking Agricultural Area cow captured in March 1998. She was observed by residents near Viking and had appeared sick for some time. She was so weak she could barely stand up and had to be shot. A tooth was taken. Her bone marrow was in good condition.

35 Radio Collared Moose remain on the air:
Several collars could no longer be heard, probably due to battery failure. As of November 14, moose with active collars were located as follows:

Viking Agricultural Area (10)
Agassiz NWR/Thief Lake WMA (15)
Red Lake WMA/Beltrami State Forest (10)

Page 2 (For more research updates~Calf Production, Agassiz Annual Moose Survey, Moose Facts)

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U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service logo   U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

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URL: http://midwest.fws.gov/agassiz/moose.html
Last updated on: January 22, 2001

Minnesota Moose Mystery managers:
Margaret Anderson, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Moose B8164
Gretchen Mehmel, Minnesota DNR - Wildlife - Moose D0982
Questions and comments on this web site: Mike Caucutt