Moose are more dangerous than you might think

Not what you want to see in front of you on the road! Mama and baby moose crossing as you speed toward them. This is a still from a video taken by an APD dash camera. See the full video below. Courtesy of APD and Alaska Department of Fish & Game.

Bears get all the scare glory. Somehow, we humans tend to overlook an important fact in Alaska: more humans are hurt by moose every year than by bear (Alaska Dept. of Fish & Wildlife). I sense we’d be wise to have more respect for moose.

And then I saw this pretty terrifying video, courtesy of an APD web cam:

If that doesn’t put a little fear into your gas-pedal foot, I don’t know what will. While some moose/vehicle collisions may go unreported, the state says these collisions happen up to 800 times a year.

The Alaska Department of Fish & Game has a new driver initiative and a new heat map for Alaskans to see where the most moose/vehicle collisions occur. We’ll learn about those on this week’s show from an Alaska Department of Fish & Game biologist.

In addition, we’ll talk about moose behavior and the stressors that can lead them into a confrontation with you, the hiker/biker/skier moving through Alaska’s parks and wild lands. What’s the best way to avoid problems, and what do you do if everything goes wrong? A moose behavior specialist with the Alaska Department of Fish & Game will cover those angles for us.

And, we hope that you’ve got a few moose stories and encounters to share. We’d love to hear about them. Join us.

HOST: Kathleen McCoy

GUESTS:

  • Todd Rinaldi, area wildlife biologist, AKF&G Matanuska Valley moose range
  • John Crouse, wildlife biologist, AKF&G Kenai Moose Research Center
  • Dave Battle, wildlife biologist, AKF&G Anchorage area

LINKS:

  • Kicking and stomping moose hooves are a formidable defense, Riley Woodford, Alaska Fish & Wildlife News, January 2020
  • What to do about aggressive moose, AK Dept of Fish & Game website
  • Driving in moose country, AK Dept of Fish & Game, website
  • Moose collision story map, with separate maps for Anchorage, Kenai Peninsula, Fairbanks and MatSu, website
  • Where do the collisions happen? AK Dept of Fish & Game, with locations and details, website (find it under Quick Facts on the left for Anchorage, MatSu, Kenai Peninsula and Fairbanks)
  • Report wildlife encounter form, especially for injured, orphaned or aggressive animals, form
  • Tasers for moose and bear, AK Dept of Fish & Game website story
  • Orphaned moose calves are rarely orphaned, AK Dept of Fish & Game, website story
  • AK F&G Moose count 2019 press release (2020 count is Feb. 21-23, 2020)

PARTICIPATE:

  • Call 550-8433 (Anchorage) or 1-888-353-5752 (statewide) during the live broadcast (2:00 – 3:00pm)
  • Send e-mail to hometown@alaskapublic.org before, during or after the live broadcast (e-mails may be read on air)
  • Post your comment or question below (comments may be read on air
  • LIVE: Monday, February 10, 2020 at 2:00 p.m
  • RE-AIR: Monday, February 10, 2020 at 8:00 p.m.

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