Roadside is birthing center for moose moms
A mother moose and her calves walking across the Denali National Highway. Moose in places such as Grand Teton National Park have determined the roads safer for their calves than braving bear territory. Credit: Steve Deger
Moose are giving birth in an unlikely place. Scientists tracking moose in Grand Teton National Park have noticed that nearly 90% of moose calves were born by the side of the road. Roads may actually be a safe haven for moose in national parks.
Joel Berger, a scientist for the Wildlife Conservation Society, did a 10-year study on how moose interacted with once-endangered grizzly bears. The bears were reintroduced to Grand Teton National Park after an absence of nearly 60 years. So the moose didn’t know that the grizzly bears were their natural predators until they started losing their young to the bears.
That’s a hard lesson. But after the moose caught on, it started getting easier for the scientists to find them. Dr. Berger noticed that pregnant moose were moving gradually closer to the roads each year to give birth. They seem to have figured out that the grizzly bears avoid the roads, creating a safe zone for the mother and her baby.
So the moose are leaning on a human infrastructure to help them survive. But Dr. Berger said it might be a phase. In other national parks, grizzly bears aren’t afraid of the roads. And since the study ended, three grizzlies have been hit by cars in Grand Teton.
Joel Berger also said: “We’re just scratching the surface in terms of understanding how human infrastructure is influencing the behavior, ecology, and distribution of so many species. It’s not something we’ve looked extensively at to understand the finer nuances.”
Moose use ‘human shield’ to avoid hungry bears
Learn more about Joel Berger’s studies at the Wildlife Conservation Society site on Moose and Returning Grizzlies and Wolves
Learn where and how to view wildlife in Grand Teton National Park
Our thanks to:
Joel Berger
Senior Scientist
Wildlife Conservation Society
Grand Teton National Park
Jackson, Wyoming
it is a prefect natural selection and competitive adaptation for natural aniamls.However, in oder to capture bady mooses for their own survival, the grizzly bear have to take risk walking on the roadside.