Alaska's Urban Moose Adjust To Heavy Snow

Harsh Winter In Anchorage Makes Life Difficult For City's Moose Population

(AP)  Deep mountain snow usually drives moose to seek lower ground in Anchorage, but the snow piling up in town this winter is a bit much even for the stilt-legged animals.

So they're going where they'd rather not, choosing major roads, plowed sidewalks and groomed trails to sidestep the vast cushion of snow in neighborhoods and greenbelts left during a remarkably temperamental month in Alaska's largest city. The half-ton ungulates are even showing up downtown, placidly gnawing on bare trees at busy intersections.

"They don't want to walk through deep snow either," said state wildlife biologist Rick Sinnott. "Most moose don't really want to interact with people and cars and dogs."

Snow removal crews are overwhelmed with the aftermath of storms that dumped almost 76 inches of snow midway through a season that normally totals 68 inches. It'll be weeks before they get a handle on the massive chokehold, but if the weather pattern continues the city's moose could suffer — and so could people, said Don Spalinger, an ecologist at the University of Alaska-Anchorage.

"The problem is the moose are sticking to the trails. They're out on the roads. We could see a lot more of them hit by cars," he said, not to mention more dangerous encounters between moose and people.

In a normal winter, 130 moose can die from car collisions within the city limits. Statistics have not been compiled yet for the latest moose casualties, but they could be two, even three times the average by winter's end, said Gary Olson of the Alaska Moose Federation, a nonprofit moose advocacy group.

"We could be heading into a killer snow year, with the snowiest months ahead," he said.

Without or without the big snow, food will become increasingly scarce over the next few months. But experts say more storms in this heavy snow season could keep moose reaching all available food — it takes more energy to trudge through deep snow — at a time when there are more of the animals in the city.

In summer, only a few hundred moose roam Anchorage. But the urban population can swell as high as 1,000 in winter. That's when many of the animals leave the harsh conditions in the nearby Chugach Mountains, traveling up to 20 miles.

In Anchorage, they forage on twigs and bark until spring brings back the plentiful greens and flowers. Moose eat up to 40 pounds of wood a day, enough to fill two large garbage cans, Sinnott said. But as the accessible food diminishes, adult moose are losing a pound a day.

A few hundred moose end up dying in town each year, including those hit by cars, according to Sinnott. Sometimes they starve to death or succumb to diseases in their weakened states — frequently in people's yards. Sometimes the carcasses are not discovered until the snow melts.

[gunnerv1]

It's caused by "Global Warming" and we all know that it's Bush's fault!

[bigwhtpony]

Hmmmm....heavy snow in Alaska. Must be due to global warming, right Al?

[bildooreilly]

yeah obviously another sign of global warming.... global warming is just another scam to increase taxes... the politiciains want to increase the taxes on the energy companies, the energy companies pass those taxes right back to we the consumers. Go look at your bill, half of it's freakin taxes already that WE pay not the energy companies...

[sikuvitall]

Got news for you ignoramuses, one of the consequences of global warming is extreme weather. Haven't you noticed entire islands going underwater (the Maldives) and ice shelves the size of Rhode Island sliding into the sea? We're all sunk, and so are the moose.

[timothyone-2009]

It is Bush's fault that America is not leading the world toward a healthier environment and less fuel use. If in the year 1900 horsemen had the degree of control over the nation that oilmen have today America would not now exist.

[bildooreilly]

I love how the global warming morons now blame cold weather on global warming, you idiots just can't lose can you... You claimed we would have an extreme hurricane season last year too and it never materialized, face it idiots, it's winter, and it's cold.

[knyghtwolf]

As far as snow goes in some areas heavy or not, global warming causes atmospheric compression pockets that are akin to pockets forming in different sizes; ranging from a few miles in diameter to several hundred. What WILL trigger a global warming event will be when one of these compressions gets to be about continental size. Our atmosphere can only handle so much pressure at any given moment; as the warm air increases, it compresses colder air at the ground level and the pushes it along like a water bubble under ice, after a while, as this pressure increases, it becomes larger, and it eventually will erupt into the UPPER atmosphere, NOW you can kiss your butt good-bye. The temperatures in the UPPER atmosphere are much colder, and this forms cold waves at temps that are about -140 degrees. Don't worry, you won't feel a thing.

[slclark0029]

Yea......I'm sure "Global Warming" is the exact reason that Alaska has alot of snow.....AND...I'm sure "Global Warming" is the reason that Moose come down out of the mountains, and into the citys, seeking food...
Give me a break people...Will you stop blaming everything on Global Warming!
The Moose aren't coming down out of the mountains seeking food because of "Global Warming"...They are doing it because THEY ARE HUNGRY!!
When I'm hungry, I go to where the food is..... I DON'T BLAME THAT ON "GLOBAL WARMING"!
It's called "Instinct" people.
And, Due to it's location in the world, Alaska has alot of snow, always has, always will.
Grab a book and study it.

[gmcnally2]

Global warming did not happen in the last 6 years alone. Quit blaming Bush, he just is not doing much with a problem he inherited. Time to get more proactive.

[legendary240]

The Global Warming panic is just politically convenient fantasy. And it is the latest horror for the tree-huggers to unite around since the "save the whales" mantra has grown tired. The earth has been hotter than it is now, much colder, dryer, wetter - so what? We adapt and adjust because climatic changes happen slowly and we just go on about living. If you really believe that humans are the culprit, then what were WE doing 1300-1400 years ago to cause such warm temperatures? There were no cars, industry, or aerosols - please explain that.

[legendary240]

Got news for you ignoramuses, one of the consequences of global warming is extreme weather. Haven't you noticed entire islands going underwater (the Maldives) and ice shelves the size of Rhode Island sliding into the sea? We're all sunk, and so are the moose.
Posted by sikuvitall at 03:15 AM : Feb 01, 2007

Hey Mr. or Ms. Sick, do you know what the elevation above mean sea level was on those Maldivan islands? Did you also know that those islands have submerged and resurfaced several times before? Also, where do you think huge icebergs come from? They are chunks of fractured ice shelf and glaciers. Ummm, what did the Titanic strike? Icebergs are not new phenomena.

[legendary240]

NOW you can kiss your butt good-bye. The temperatures in the UPPER atmosphere are much colder, and this forms cold waves at temps that are about -140 degrees. Don't worry, you won't feel a thing.
Posted by knyghtwolf at 06:55 AM : Feb 01, 2007

After reading this prattle from someone obviously educated far above their ability to reason...I'm not feeling a thing myself.

[teeharsage]

Ok, does anyone really study our world's history? How can a person with common sense and not just a ton of anger blame a person for the warming & cooling trends earth has gone through since it's beginning.

Our current state of "global warming" has nothing to do with how we "treat" this planet. It is the trend the planet has gone through since it began. And then someday, LONG after we are gone, it will go through it's cooling process - I wonder then who and what people will blame.

[caldwellptr]

moose and squirrel are in danger!