Moose Develop Innovative Birthing Strategies in Response to Grizzly Population Boom

A recent rise in the grizzly bear population of Yellowstone, bringing them out of the realm of being endangered, has led to an interesting habit of pregnant female moose. Over the past few years, as grizzlys became more numerous, park rangers began to notice more and more females give birth to young within a relatively short distance of the few roads that run through the massive national park. Joel Berger of the Wildlife Conservation Society did his own study of the situation, tracking the roaming habits of moose that had, or were about to have, offspring. He found that those that lived in areas with a high bear population tended to wander much closer to roads than those that lived where there were fewer bears. His theory is that moose mothers that have had their children preyed on by grizzly bears have learned of the bears' fear of roads, a fear that park rangers have devised means to encourage throughout the years in order to avoid bear-human confrontations. So, in essence, the moose are using people as a tool to avoid grizzlys. Savvy.

Posted by Jeff Smith