A regular occurrence in the winter is moose making their way into urban settings. Senior Conservation Officer, Lindey Leko, says this happens for a variety of reasons.
“A bunch of different factors that contribute to it. One is that they're looking for food, they're looking for a territory, they're looking for their own type of habitat, and there seems to be a lot less habitat out there on the landscape than there was 20, 30 years ago. Towns and cities are growing, we've got increased urban park areas and networks that make it really easy for moose and other animals, wildlife, deer, whatever, to kind of wander into these populated areas.”
Leko assures moose typically not aggressive but stresses they are still wild animals. He reminds they are more easily provoked when stressed or protecting their young.
“When you start seeing things like their ears snap back or their hair is on the back of their neck and their back starts standing up or they snort or they start licking their lips and stuff like that, that's a telltale sign that you better get out of there and leave it alone because it's stressed and its next move might not be a good one.”
“They're big animals, they can cover a lot of ground very quickly, and if you're in deep snow, it's not going to take a cow or a young bull very long to track you down or to run you down.”
Leko notes dogs are a stressor to moose and should be restrained when moose are around. This prevents aggression and injury for both animals.
When moose are spotted in urban areas, Leko recommends reporting it to the poaching line at 1(800) 667-7561. The situation will be assessed, and a decision will be made depending on the circumstance.
“There's no set policy or procedure on how to deal with it. Everyone is different. We look at where the moose is, what type of a danger does it pose to the public, and on the other hand, what type of danger the public pose to the moose. Is it an issue to the land owner? Do they care? If it's right in the school yard or something like that, that's something that's going to expedite our response a little bit more, and we're going to do that. Our first efforts would probably be to haze it off.”
Hazing refers to using a variety of methods to guide the animal away from the location. Leko mentions the use of pyrotechnics, rubber sleds, and the use of snow machines or ATV’s. He says farmers often use similar techniques on their own properties.
“Lots of farmers who get a moose in the yard and they just simply start up the tractor and they put it in low gear and they just start driving towards the moose.”
He says this may take a few attempts, but the animal will eventually find a new habitat.
“They're looking for their own place to kind of hunker down. They like the yard, but maybe a kilometer away, there's another clump of trees that they can live in just the same way that's going to provide all those same opportunities but not be in your yard.”
One method of relocation they are reluctant to utilize is chemical immobilization, where the moose is tranquilized and taken to a different location. Leko says this often ends badly for the animal.
“There's complications that can arise during sedation, such as capture myopathy, which is muscular damage caused by the stress and casing. When we restrain the animal once it's sedated and all that kind of stuff, sometimes they run into issues with bloat, regurgitation, injuries due to the delivery equipment. It's not always that when we use these tranquilizing techniques that it ends well for the moose. Sometimes we get to where we want to go and the moose has passed during transport.”
Moose that have been chemically immobilized must also be tagged as the meat is unsafe to consume.
At the end of the day, Leko suggests if a moose is not causing damage or a threat to safety, they can be left alone. Any found within urban areas can be called in to be assessed.