This editorial first appeared in the Anchorage Daily News:
Lead them to provender or leave them to nature?
Save the moose? Alaskans can’t even agree on that.
We’ve been here before. Another rough winter of deep snow has made moose hungry and desperate for easier trails — and desperation takes them smack into the path of cars, trucks, trains and kids on the way to school.
Not to mention hospital entryways.
Now the Alaska Moose Federation, a nonprofit group that wants more moose both in the field and in their freezers, has money and permission from the state to set up feeding stations, diversionary trails away from roads and railroad tracks, and authority to drug and move moose at least five miles from any road.
For the relocation, we’ve got an unusual situation of state money going to a private nonprofit so it can pay a federal agency to do the work.
This does seem convoluted. Why not the Department of Fish and Game?
Well, Fish and Game says the moose federation has the Legislature’s ear. And there’s debate within the ranks as to whether feeding moose to tide them over a hard winter is a good idea. Some don’t want to send the message that it’s ever good to feed wild animals, and some argue that nature’s way may be cold and hard to our eyes but that we shouldn’t interfere.
Often it’s wise to let nature take its course but, on the other hand, nature’s course doesn’t include locomotives and SUVs. We’re part of the ecosystem. Whether it’s the moose federation or Fish and Game or the feds, if we can spare a few moose — and drivers and their families — from dangerous collisions, that’s all to the good. And if we can take the edge off a brutal winter, then that’s all right too. Some of these moose may simply be saved for the hunt. Good. Better shot and field dressed than slaughtered on the highway.
You can argue about cost effectiveness or what outfit should be doing the work or whether we should do it at all. But this operation won’t upset the balance of nature.
It could be a bridge to spring for a few more moose, and a few more calves.
Comments (5)
Add commentNo brainer.
Kill them. They crossed the line. A well placed shot is better management than a random stomping. Why let them go to waste for winter kill statistics? The city is no place for wild animals. Public safety is paramount. Moose, bears, lions and tigers. Oh, my! How many bears have to be destroyed to protect our garbage? Our kids and their mothers don't rate as high as our dumpsters. Wild animals that move off of their turf and on to ours have defied the laws of natural selection. AF&G should issue a draw lottery for hunters that pass a competency test. Let them apply for tags in certain areas. Hospitals, school bus stops, etc. A moose in the freezer is better than a mother in the hospital or the morgue. Kill urban moose! It's for the kids!
This is nothing new. Many
This is nothing new. Many western states have been dropping bales of alfalfa for decades for the elk. Yes winter kill is natural, but it isnt natural that a majority of their home range has been converted to our home range, isolating these animals in small pockets of wilderness. Maybe its as simple as laying down more snow machine tracks around Anchorage to provide better trails for the moose. I dont necessarily want to see hunters stalking moose down Northern Lights Blvd. but the moose is just trying to survive. Hungry, stressed moose are dangerous moose. Maybe they should start putting wildlife proof fencing up like they do along many of the highways in the western states. There are better solutions than letting them starve or randomly opening fire.
Sean says
"Just snare bears and shoot wolves from planes. That solves every wildlife problem."
Mr. Whitekeys report
1.2 million dollars from the legislature to give to a private hunting club to move 10 moose away from the road. $120,000 per moose or $300 per pound. Thats sound wildlife management.