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| Moose Warning Sign in Newfoundland |
We have discovered a rather phenomenal controversy here in Newfoundland: Moose.
Before we even arrived on the island, folks began offering warnings and
concerns about moose and our traveling in moose country. When I have asked with my normal enthusiasm
about the opportunity to see moose, Newfoundlanders have assured me that I
probably will see them, however, the disdain in their voices has been
obvious. Almost always, the subject of
moose has either begun or ended with warnings about moose on the roadways. In every instance, moose have been referred
to as a “nuisance.” It is certainly a
completely different attitude than we found in western Canada.
To further make us curious about the obvious moose
controversy, we camped next to a lovely Newfoundland couple on Evangeline Beach
who told us a bit more about the moose problem.
They said that the moose had become such a problem that people who had
collided with moose have filed a class action suit against the Canadian
government for introducing moose into Newfoundland.
It was obvious on our arrival to the island that the saga of
moose in Newfoundland has increased to dramatic proportions. We have found two locations with electronic
moose detection devices along the TransCanadian Highway. We also passed a new fence erected along both
sides of the road to prevent moose from coming onto the highway. The most amazing detail is a road sign
indicating 660 moose collisions in 2011… that’s right six hundred and
sixty! How is that even possible with an
island population of less than 500,000?
We have since been amazed to learn that this entire moose
controversy began back in 1878 when two moose were introduced to the island in
an effort to provide another food source for Newfoundlanders. Four more moose were brought to the island
around 1904. With only caribou and small
game being a food source besides marine life, bringing moose onto the island
seemed like a viable idea. Particularly
when considering that by the mid-1800s, Newfoundland was the largest exporter
of codfish. By 1992, however, the
Canadian government shut down the codfish industry completely because codfish
had been fished to near extinction.
In the meantime, the moose flourished. With few predators and abundant food, their
numbers grew exponentially. Today, moose
inhabit the entire island. Estimates of
the number of moose on the island are as high as 150,000. Amazing!!!
To give you a comparison number, the Yukon boasts 60,000 moose to its
30,000 inhabitants. The major difference
is that the Yukon has nearly FIVE TIMES the landmass of Newfoundland!
As for the islanders, some Newfoundlanders believe that the
moose are not a problem. These folks
have launched a “save the moose” campaign.
Others believe that moose are not only a problem but an impending disaster. They have launched a “save our people” action
committee. These folks have called for
50,000 moose to be eliminated from Newfoundland in the coming year and fencing
to be installed all along the entire TransCanadian Highway.
Many park rangers feel that the tremendous number of vehicle
collisions with moose are preventable.
We, ourselves, have witnessed how frequently Newfoundlanders speed on
the highways. Many drive recklessly. We have been passed along tight curves and
have been relentlessly tailgated. We
expect this on big city highways in the U.S.; however, finding this kind of
craziness on a very sparsely populated, rural island is certainly a
surprise.
Additionally, other than the TransCanadian Highway, we have
found the roads in Newfoundland to be narrow and rarely having more than a
six-inch-wide piece of asphalt edge that drops 4-6 inches to a soft, gravel
shoulder. In all but a few places on the
island, the roads are also elevated, with severe drop offs on either side. Many roads have also experienced damage from
frost and snow, as you would expect this far north.
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| Rough road near Elliston, Newfoundland |
Additionally, the vast majority of vehicles on the island
are sedans. Encountering a 1,200-pound
animal with legs taller than the hood of most vehicles at any speed is, obviously,
treacherous. Rather than slow down, however,
we have found that many people have taken to driving down the center of the
roadways to afford themselves more time to react to a moose walking onto the
road. This has provided more than one
heart-stopping corner for us.
In defense of Newfoundland drivers, snow removal efforts on
the island have also contributed to the moose collision problem. When road crews salt the road during snow and
ice, the moose look at the highways as one giant saltlick. Moose also like to graze the shorter vegetation
along side of the roads. Also, because
of the road elevation, the moose are not easy to see until moments before they
cross the road. Particularly at night,
because the moose bodies are so dark, drivers rarely can determine if one is on
the road until it is too late to avoid a collision.
We have spoken with a variety of park rangers and forest service folks about the
moose controversy and have learned some fascinating statistics. A healthy moose population is the equivalent
of one moose per .6 square kilometers.
In Gros Morne National Park, they estimate that there are 4,800 to 5,000
moose in the park alone. This is the
equivalent of six moose per square kilometer… ten times the number needed for a
healthy population.
What has been even more amazing to us is that the parks are
just now implementing a moose management program. After erecting a “moose exclosure,” park
agencies determined that the Gros Morne forests were no longer regenerating
normally. David and I hiked through one
of their exclosures and were amazed to see the difference in vegetation within
the exclosure and outside of it. Rangers
have also told us that the native wildlife is flocking to the exclosure areas,
seeking the very vegetation that the moose are eliminating at a record rate of
about four cubic feet per moose per day.
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| View from inside the Gros Morne moose "exclosure." Note the heavy vegetation visible inside the exclosure versus outside. |
As a result of their studies, the park launched a pilot
moose population reduction program last year.
They distributed 382 moose hunting licenses (including licenses for
charities) to decrease the number of moose in Gros Morne. It is believed that 150-200 moose were
harvested in 2011. Approximately 900
licenses will be offered in 2012.
Out of 150,000 moose on this 111,390 square kilometer
island, we have seen three… all in Gros Morne National Park. In solving the mystery about the moose controversy, we have determined
two things… moose have found paradise on earth here in Newfoundland. Now it is up to man to find a solution to
bring balance back to the island’s ecosystem.
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| Gros Morne Moose |
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