Analysis Post - Causes of Death

After doing much research on the habitat and environmental adaptation of wolves in Alaska, I have decided it would be wise to do the same for the moose and caribou in Alaska. By exploring how moose adapt to their environment, I hope to shed light on how many moose and caribou are actually being killed by wolves, even though there is in no way a definite number. Ultimately, by exploring how many moose and caribou are being killed by factors other than predation by wolves, my goal is to determine how necessary the aerial shooting of wolves is in maintaining or regenerating the moose and caribou populations in Alaska.

Possible Reasons for the Decline in the Moose and Caribou Populations:

Since the recent concern with the moose and caribou populations in Alaska, much research has been done to predict the herd growth and how the wolves impact the herd. After observing a decline in the moose and caribou populations, wolf predation was the most obvious cause of most of this decrease and pilots were, in turn, paid to shoot wolves in and effort to slow the deaths. Under this plan, pilots are paid up to $150 per wolf that they kill. In 2006, nearly fifty percent of the decline in caribou population was blamed on wolf predation. Understandably, the grey wolf population in Alaska is the largest of any other area of the United States numbering anywhere from 7,000 to 11,000 wolves. The predation of moose and caribou by wolves, however, is by no means the only cause of death for the moose and caribou.

In addition to the predation of moose and caribou by wolves, many calves are unable to survive their first winter due to poor nutrition availability during the winter. Many biologists argue that the mortality rates of calves would remain the same despite the predation of wolves. With high densities of herbivores in Alaska, disease spreads more quickly and the population are more susceptible to starvation with limited resources. In an effort to find food, moose often wander onto train tracks, which are home to much vegetation as the tracks are cleared by trains and provide more favorable conditions for vegetation in contrast to the desolate snow. The Alaska Rail Road, which is the only railway in Alaska accounts for more than 360 moose deaths per year. Many studies are currently being done to find out exactly what causes triggers the moose to follow the train tracks, in addition to the search for vegetation. Also, the moose must compete with the deer when searching for food, as they have almost identical diets and the deer most certainly outnumber the moose.

Another cause of the recent steep decline in the moose population can be contributed to the unusually harsh winter experienced in 2007. The fall hunt for this coming hunting season has been cancelled due to the unusually large amount of moose found dead after the past winter. Record amounts of snowfall were reported in Anchorage. Nearly 29 inches of snow fell in only a 24 hour period. Contrastingly, only a few years ago, large amounts of antlerless moose were authorized to be killed in order to thin out an overcrowded population sure to crash in the event of a harsh winter. It seems as if this effort by humans to control the moose population has worked in reverse. Additionally, the unusually deep snow has also caused the moose to wander into streets or railways and be hit by cars or trains because the moose often try to avoid the snow by walking on the streets. In the wake of spring, it is not unusual to spot a moose calf that has died from hypothermia or one that has been mauled by a brown bear or even one that has simply died of starvation.

Lastly, an important cause of death for the moose and caribou in Alaska is predation by animals other than wolves. A study done in south central Alaska, in which calves were collared and monitored over one winter, suggests that up to seventy-nine percent of the natural moose deaths were due to predation by brown bears and not wolves. Additionally, black bears are another source of death for the moose in many areas.

Hardships for Wolves:

Similar to the moose population, the wolf population has also faced a troubling decline due to the harsh winter. They have worked hard to maintain their survival and have been known to show teamwork signs of teamwork when in such trying situations. Quite surprisingly, the leading cause of death for wolves has been trauma caused by vehicles. The second leading cause of death for the wolves was mange, most likely acquired from red foxes. Many deaths were unable to be determined from the information presented and this accounted for the third highest cause of death in free range wolves. Also, I found it quite shocking and ironic that a few of the wolf deaths studied were a result of trauma caused by moose.