Joint research team continues Michigan moose survival study effort
An inside look at recent U.P. moose capture-and-collaring effort
By ANDY HENION
Communications representative, Wildlife Division
Michigan Department of Natural Resources
It’s an unusually warm February day in the western Upper Peninsula as a collaborative team of wildlife experts works to fit a radio collar around the neck of an immobilized moose and collect blood and fecal samples from the animal. Speed and skill are crucial. Too much stress or time under anesthesia puts the 700-pound bull at risk. A separate helicopter crew from Texas-based Heliwild had flushed the moose from the Iron County woods and shot it with a tranquilizer dart, a necessary but taxing procedure for the majestic creature. The 45-degree temperature produces another risk factor for an animal whose thick, heavy coat was designed for freezing cold.
 The ground team finishes its work, injects the moose with a drug that reverses sedation and backs away. After a few anxious minutes, the massive animal awakens, rises unsteadily and ambles into the thick woods.
The entire process takes less than 45 minutes. “Great job everyone,” says Kristie Sitar, a veteran wildlife biologist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, as the crew exchanges high-fives. This procedure was repeated several dozen times in mid-February as some 40 people from the DNR, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, Northern Michigan University and Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians participated in an ongoing research project investigating moose survival in the Upper Peninsula. Read more |
