SPOKANE, Wash. – If you want to learn more about Eastern Washington’s moose population, you can’t just walk up to them and have them fill out a questionnaire like it’s a census.
So, how are researchers from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) going to do it? They’re taking to the skies.
“We’re going to be up in helicopters putting collars on cows, which are female moose,” said Samantha Bundick.
Bundick is an ungulate specialist with WDFW in Spokane, meaning she works with hooved animals, specifically moose and deer.
“My research and work is focused on how our populations are doing and what we can do to improve them, so that we can have moose and deer for hunters and all Washingtonians,” she said.
It’s not uncommon to see a moose in Spokane, like last year where one was spotted taking a dip in Manito Park. Their populations are abundant in Eastern Washington, but pretty spread out.
“You don’t see big herds of them like with elk or mule deer,” Bundick said. “They’re sparse and hidden in those thick trees, so we need to get up high to see them. That’s really the only way to do it.”
Bundick says this new long-term moose monitoring project needs to be done in the winter, because “you need a snowy backdrop and cool weather to help us collar our cows.”
Those collars will collect a ton of information about moose populations, like survival and pregnancy rates, where they travel and check them for diseases and parasites.
“WDFW wants to keep an eye on these populations to conserve moose,” Bundick said. “We don’t want to overharvest our moose, so having this detailed information will help us achieve that goal.”
Especially because moose are what’s known as a “once in a lifetime species,” according to Bundick, because hunters can only get one tag in their lifetime, and only harvest a moose in Washington one time.
If someone does see a moose in their neck of the woods, Bundick has some advice.
“Enjoy the awesome view of a moose, but definitely give them space, they can be aggressive,” she said. “As long as they’re living their own life, you can just let them be. But, if you notice they’re sick or in a place where it could be dangerous or there’s children around, go ahead and call our customer service line and we’ll send someone out.”
For more information on WDFW’s moose monitoring project, click here.
