Good moose hunting: Base, state officials track wildlife populations

  • Published
  • By Airman Jack Sanders
  • 3rd Wing Public Affairs
ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  Moose, moose everywhere as far as the eye can see. That's how some residents of Alaska say they feel. It seems like no matter where people are there's a moose wandering around. 

Where do they all come from? Where do they go? What kind of things are they doing? These are the questions that Elmendorf and Fort Richardson wildlife conservation agents and Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologists are asking. 

A team, as well as military conservation agents, has been tranquilizing, tagging, and tracking moose on both Elmendorf and Fort Rich. The tagged moose are being fitted to wear specialized collars, which allow their movements to be tracked over a two year period. 

The ADFG, along with the Elmendorf and Ft. Rich Natural Rese, is running this study. The funding for the experiment is being provided by the Department of Defense. 

The team has undergone a similar study in the past where it has tagged grizzlies. "The bear study was kind of a big eye opener both for people on base and in Anchorage seeing how often brown bear go through areas that are, really, quite populated," said David Battle, Fort Rich's natural resource specialist. Since the team tried the tracking process with bears and saw all of the positive information, they decided to start a project for moose, wolves and black bear, too. 

Why are they doing this? 

"Were trying to determine if there are any travel corridors for moose on Elmendorf or Fort Rich," said Battle. With the large majority of construction that has gone on in the past, team members said they are worried how this has affected the moose population. 

A couple of times a week, for the past few weeks, the group has taken to the installations' streets with a vigilant eye. The teams split up and scour the base looking for the furry friends that might be mulling around. 

The information from this and other studies will be used to determine moose movement patterns. That information will be used when deciding where buildings should be built, and to control the amount of moose related accidents, Battle said. 

The team is currently only tagging the female, or cow, moose. The main reason being that the females have a smaller range, or wandering patterns than the males. The males will be tracked later on in the year. 

Working with animals is always dangerous. "It's a risk that we take, and we take for the animal too," said Sean Farley, a research biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Farley said all of the animals were given the best care. "When you're trying to capture a wild animal there are a lot of variables to take into account ranging from, not hurting them to, not having them escape when you're trying to catch them," he said. 

Caring for the wildlife population and ensuring the safety of those who live and work on the installations is what this study is all about.