5 things learned from new doc ‘Moose: A Year in the Life of a Twig Eater’

By Victoria Ahearn, The Canadian Press

TORONTO – It’s a towering symbol of the Canadian wilderness, depicted on everything from acclaimed works of art to Ontario’s coat of arms and even beer labels.

Yet the moose remains a mysterious creature whose population is declining across North America “at an alarming rate,” suggests the new documentary “Moose: A Year in the Life of a Twig Eater,” which airs as the season opener of CBC-TV’s “The Nature of Things” on Thursday.

Acclaimed science and nature filmmaker Susan Fleming of Uxbridge, Ont., shot the visually stunning project over a year in Alberta’s Jasper National Park with a small crew of just a cameraman and a scientist.

To their surprise, they encountered not just one but two moose calves, which are rarely spotted.

Here are five facts about the moose revealed in the doc:

1. Moose populations are in decline across Canada right now.

“We’ve really got to jump on the ball and be paying attention to this,” said Fleming. “There are a few places like Newfoundland where they’re just doing wonderfully, but for the most part this is not what’s happening.”

Fleming said moose numbers are dropping particularly in Ontario, British Columbia and many parts of Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

The cause in Canada isn’t exactly known but studies in the U.S. have pointed to factors including climate change and tick problems, said Fleming, who also questioned why a moose calf hunt is still allowed amid dwindling populations.

B.C. is in the middle of a multi-million-dollar, multi-year study on moose populations but “we really need to have more concerted efforts by scientists to discover why,” said Fleming.

2. Less than 50 per cent of moose calves survive their first month and only around 30 per cent live through their first year.

“Winter is a very tough time for moose, it’s not uncommon for them to starve,” said Fleming. “They become twig eaters, and twigs have about 25 to 30 per cent of the nutritional value of the other forage, so it’s a really tough time for them.”

Bears are also a “major factor,” said Fleming, noting they kill moose calves more than any other animal.

3. Moose use a huge vocal repertoire to communicate.

During mating season, “it’s a symphony out in the woods, the way they communicate back and forth,” said Fleming.

4. Moose feed on water plants, which are rich in sodium and other critical nutrients, and will dive up to five metres to get them.

“They’re super strong swimmers,” said Fleming.

5. Moose only need to load up on essential nutritional elements once or twice a year.

“Their bodies have an amazing ability to hold and process nutrients like sodium, which is quite enviable,” said Fleming.

“They have an incredible ability to hold and process nutrients, which is very life-saving, because a lot of times, where we were in Jasper National Park, the glacial lakes take a long time to warm up, so they don’t have that long to feed on sodium-rich plants.”

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. The previous version included an erroneous reference to swimming speed.

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