[caption id="attachment_78964" align="aligncenter" width="560"] New Study Looks At Declining Moose Populations In B.C. (Photo eCanadaNow)[/caption]

A British Columbia Study Conducting Root Cause Analysis on Declining Moose Population

The government in British Columbia has launched a five year study into the declining moose population from regions in this province. The multi-year study will involve a team of one wildlife veterinarian, 11 wildlife biologists, and an accompanying staff. The study will attempt to determine the root cause for the drop in the moose population which has been as high as 70% in some areas of the province.

According to the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, plans are to tag and monitor the movements of 200 moose through their life cycle up to their deaths. Upon death, the team will conduct the forensic research to determine cause of death.

There are economic reasons for the interest in maintaining the moose population as well. The annual moose hunt draws in 75,000 hunters to vie for a coveted hunting license of which only 10,000 receive one. It is estimated that hunters bag 6,000 moose during the hunting season. However, 35 years ago, the hunters killed 13,000 moose annually. An increase in the moose population means increased revenue from hunting licenses and tourism. Hunters have been noting the drop in the moose population for years now.

On The Web:
B.C. to investigate declining moose numbers
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/bc-to-investigate-declining-moose-numbers/article16723591/?cmpid=rss1