Moose May be Next Victim of Global Warming

The polar bear has been garnering a lot of attention in recent weeks as wildlife biologists fear the shrinking Arctic ice sheets are endangering the existence of this top predator at the top of the world. But there is another gentle giant that is getting far less attention, and they may be in far worse trouble — the mighty moose.

Indeed, in one location that has long been “ground zero” for moose populations, northwestern Minnesota, only a few dozen now remain. Wildlife biologists are now predicting that the moose will vanish from northwestern Minnesota in less than 15 years. Just 22 years ago, a moose count in this region yielded 4,000 animals. Today, there are only about 200 moose left, and they’ll soon be gone.

GLOBAL WARMING

What’s killing the moose is most likely global warming, say research scientists with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Winters have been getting steadily warmer in Minnesota for 41 years, and the trend has accelerated in the past 10 years.

Warmer weather means higher parasite loads which infect moose, making the animal more vulnerable to disease and death. The parasites include brain worms, liver flukes and even ticks. Warmer springs and falls allow ticks to cling to moose longer, sometimes well into winter.

After the moose population peaked in 1984, higher than normal temperatures in the spring and fall have meant that moose needed to expend more energy to stay cool, which also weakened them. These findings are the result of a five-year moose study completed in 1999, and which is finally being published last year. The study is called “The Minnesota Moose Mystery.”

In addition to warm weather and parasites, the Moose Mystery study also revealed some other curious moose stress factors:

• Lower than normal birth rates. The pregnancy rate for northwest Minnesota moose averaged just 48 percent, while moose in Canada average 84 percent.
• Malnourishment. Many moose studied here seem to be starving, although the study showed that availability of food was not a problem.
• Lack of copper. Moose livers showed a low level of copper, which is a key mineral for regulating moose reproduction. The speculation is that acid rain has leached copper from the environment.

Moose are still likely to thrive in Canada and northeast Minnesota, the study showed. But as for northwest Minnesota, all moose will be completely gone by the year 2019, just 13 years from now. And they are not likely to return.

THE MOOSE CAPITAL OF THE NORTH

The predicted demise of the moose is a special irony for one small town in northern Minnesota which has long billed itself as the “Moose Capital of the North.”

Karlstad is a tiny town of just 801 souls. Its located in the northwester corner of Minnesota in Kittson county which shares a border with Manitoba, Canada. The moose and it’s image has been a key element in the identity of this proud little community which has attracted hunters and wildlife enthusiasts from around the world.

A large statue of a moose commands a spot next to Highway 59 at the north end of Karlstad — it’s the first thing many motorists see when they approach the city from the north. The moose is also featured prominently on the Karlstad official web site. A sign on the south end of town welcoming visitors also depicts a moose. The city conducts an annual “Moose Festival” every fall. A moose head is emblazoned on the city water tower. Even the receipts at Karlstad’s only grocery store are imprinted with an image of the moose.

But this once proud symbol of Karlstad may soon become only a fond memory of a time when the world was simpler — and a lot less polluted/

A BLOW FOR LOCAL CITIZENS

Karlstad residents have been blindsided by the predictions of the Minnesota Moose Mystery study. Many express deep sadness, and even shock at the idea that moose will no longer be a part of the local landscape.

Jon Pearson of Karlstad is an avid hunter and bear hunting guide who last hunted moose about 10 years ago. He said the loss of the moose would be a “terrible thing.”

“I remember when I was a kid and the DNR had its offices over by Kim’s Beauty Shop,“ he said. “When they had a moose season, that’s where they brought them in. I remember going over there several times a day to watch and see what kind of trophies hunters were getting. It was exciting. It’s sad to think it may never happen again.”

Pearson is also owner of town’s only motel — the North Star Motor Inn. He said most moose hunters in Kittson County were from outside the area, meaning his motel

was filled with guests during the season.

“That’s another aspect of this,” Pearson said. “It means a loss of that kind of business, and probably other businesses as well.”

Danny Johnson sells used cars in Karlstad. As a member of the Karlstad chapter of the Jaycees, he was the “point man” in adopting the moose as the official mascot of the city. He still remembers the day the idea came to him:

“I think it was back in 1984, or so,” Johnson said. “It was a Sunday afternoon, and I was just lying down for a nap, and I got this eerie feeling that someone was watching me. I turned my head and looked out the window, and there was a gigantic moose looking at me right through the window!”

Johnson froze.

“I didn’t dare make a move,” he said. “I’m sure if I would have flinched, that moose would have shattered my window.”

The bull moose decided to go its own way without bothering Johnson, but the incident sparked an idea. Johnson and others suggested to Karlstad community leaders that the moose become the official mascot of the city.

With the backing of the Jaycees, the city council agreed, and the fund raising began. One of the primary fund raisers was the annual Four-by-Four Mud Run, an event in which people competed to drive 4×4 trucks through a long stretch of gooey mud. With the money raised, the Jaycees commissioned a bigger-than- life statue of a moose, which was created by F.A.S.T. Fiberglass Wonders Company of Sparta, Wisconsin.

“The statue cost $5,000,” Johnson said. “We drove down to Sparta to get it. We took a Ford pick-up with a short box. On our way back, we turned a lot of heads because everybody could see that big moose head sticking up out over the top of the pick-up. We stopped at a gas station and one person asked us, “Hey! What are you doing with that moose!” I think some people thought it was real.”

The giant moose statue was installed in a Karlstad municipal park in a prominent location next to Highway 59. It”s a can’t miss icon which screams out to travelers: “Now you’re in moose country!”

So assured were community boosters that the moose would serve as its symbol for years to come, a time capsule was placed within the base of the moose statue for a distant future generation to open at an appointed time.

CHANGING TO REACT TO THE TIMES

The probable extinction of the moose in Kittson County means that city officials may have to rethink the way Karlstad presents itself to the world.

“It’s definitely something we’re going to have to think about,” said Karlstad Mayor Dale Nelson. “If the moose disappear. That’s something we have no control over. Yes, it would be very sad. It would be something that Karlstad was known for, but if we no longer have moose in this area, well, we’ll have to see what that means.”

Long-time Karlstad City Clerk Wayne Ruud agreed.

“It’s very sad and ironic,” Ruud said. “The moose have been very much a part of this

community. The kids at the school used to have an Adopt-a- Moose program. Each kindergarten student was able to adopt a moose — it was run by the DNR. They tagged and followed moose, and then the kids could follow what was going on with their own moose.”

QUESTIONS REMAIN

So many questions remain. What will happen to the moose statue in the park? Will the city stop billing itself as “The Moose Capital of the World?” Will the sign featuring a moose on the south end of town need to be replaced with something else? What will happen to the time capsule waiting patiently within the base of the moose statue?

Several residents noted that Kittson County has now become “bear country.” North Star Motor Inn owner Jon Pearson also runs a business called Bear Buster Outfitters, a bear hunting guide service. Pearson said that there are currently some 30,000 bears inhabiting northwestern Minnesota, and that the bear has already become an attraction to the area.

Still others hope the moose will hang on, though wildlife biologists don’t see that happening. No other studies are being planned, and only time will tell if the moose will remain a beloved resident of Karlstad and northwestern Minnesota.