Alaskans can add one more woe to the problems that come with a long, cold winter full of heavy snow: weary moose.
It's actually gone beyond weary, wildlife advocates say, because moose are starving, perishing on railroad tracks and slamming through automobile windshields along highways where they go to escape the deep snow.
"It's belly deep, shoulder deep for these moose," Gary Olson, head of the Alaska Moose Federation, said in an interview. "The calves are the worst off. We've gotten reports of calves that have just given up, and the ravens are already picking at them, and they're still alive."
The state Department of Fish and Game this week announced approval of a permit for the federation to begin a diversionary feeding program for snow-stranded moose, allowing the clearing of plowed trails and the placing of bags of healthy feed as a respite until spring.
"We are authorizing this extraordinary step due to public safety concerns. We hope the diversionary feeding stations will lure moose away from roads and will reduce moose-vehicle collisions and other dangerous encounters," Tony Kavalok, assistant director of the state Division of Wildlife Conservation, said in a statement.
At least twice in the last decade here in Colorado, we've had to provide supplemental winter feeding for deer and elk to help them through tough winters, and pull them away from areas of conflict due to excessive snow and ice. In Colorado, those efforts were funded largely by folks like me and you, and the money we spend on our hunting and fishing licenses each year. Kudos to you, and keep up the good work! When wildlife is in trouble, more often than not, the bulk of the "financial rescue" comes from the hunters and anglers of this great country, and Lord willing, that'll never change!
