By Caroline Leddy
Serving as a magnet for tourists who search the woods for a glimpse, the moose may be second only to the lobster as the favorite animal of Maine. However, the numbers of mighty Maine moose are dwindling.
The rise of winter temperatures has drastically reduced the moose population. According to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (IFW), the number of moose in the state of Maine is 50,000 to 70,000, down from 76,000 in 2011.
“People from away are absolutely crazy about moose,” said Matt Polstein, owner of New England Outdoor Center (NEOC) where a moose head holds pride of place over the dining area at the resort. He calls the moose one of area’s “best assets.”
NEOC gives popular moose-viewing tours every summer. Crowded on a pontoon boat, tourists are taken into a wetland area off Millinocket Lake where they’ll quietly float, eagerly waiting for a moose to appear through the trees. Polstein said it is not uncommon that people cry when they see one of the beloved animals.
Locals, on the other hand, like to hunt moose. But, in 2014, the IFW cut back the number of hunting permits in an effort to protect the declining population. This year the department proposed releasing more permits, noting a slight increase in the survival rate of moose in the northern districts in Maine.
New Hampshire, another state with a sharp decline in the moose population, has also made drastic cuts to the number of hunting permits issued: in 2017, only 70 were issued. The population, which has been destroyed by ticks, has fallen to 4,000 moose.
Climate change has created the perfect environment for ticks, which can attach to a moose thousands at a time. The warmer winters have allowed for the spike in tick presence, which effect moose calves and can lead to a fatal amount of blood loss.
Of the eight subspecies of moose, the Eastern moose is most prevalent in both Maine and New Hampshire. Wolves and coyotes were once the only threat to the massive animal, but warmer temperatures and a boom of parasites has complicated the ecosystem.
New Hampshire, which is farther south than Maine, is more likely to be negatively affected by climate change and the rising temperatures.
Some predictions say New Hampshire won’t have any moose in 20 years. “I don’t know what can be done about that,” Polstein said.