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BLESS - the Big Lake Environment Support Society - Newsletter June 2010 | ||
In This Issue |
Get To Know: The MooseWith specimens weighing over 800kg, the moose is the largest member of the deer family, and one of the largest creatures in North America. It's so large that, if it's struck by a car, the car will almost certainly be destroyed. It's got a huge range to match; the moose can be found from coast to coast all over Canada, including Newfoundland Island. Moose, like most members of the deer family, eat leaves, grasses, and water plants. From just this diet, the moose calf gains as much as half a kilogram a day in its first month alive, making it North America's fastest-growing big game creature. This diet lets them grow to an incredible size, but size alone doesn't protect them from predators; even the largest moose rarely die of old age. Even wolves, despite being much smaller, can manage to bring down a healthy adult if they work together and tire the moose out. For the most part, though, wolves prefer to attack sick or very young moose. In Canada as in Europe, the moose is widely hunted by human beings as well, although experiments have been underway for the last fifty years to see if the moose can be domesticated. In Russia, where the experiments began, there is still a single active moose farm. In many places in Europe, and certain places in Canada, too, moose meat is prized for its nutrition and flavor. In Sweden, it was hunted nearly to extinction before the country enacted extensive moose protection measures, like walls to keep the moose out of collisions with cars, which can prove fatal for everyone involved. In Alaska, the industry of moose hunting is so valuable that authorities try to control the moose's natural predators to boost the population for hunters. Should you run into a moose in the wild, bear in mind that North American moose have never been domesticated. For the most part, the moose is peaceful until mating season or unless a calf is threatened. Ordinarily, a moose is perfectly happy to continue going about its own business and let human beings do the same. However, if they become accustomed to feedings by human beings, then moose have been known to behave aggressively when they encounter humans who don't feed them. So, first of all, never try to feed any wild animal, including a moose. Second, steer especially clear of wild moose that live near high-traffic areas, like campgrounds or suburban areas, as you never know what those moose expect of human beings. If a moose is used to being fed, it may become very angry when you don't continue the tradition! One last thing – the plural of "moose" is a tricky bit of linguistics for most people. Because we're familiar with the plural of "goose" being "geese", we sometimes try to say "meese", but it's simpler than that. The plural of "moose" is just plain "moose".
Article: Cat McDonald |
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