(WXYZ) — The Michigan Department of Natural Resources provided an update on its Upper Peninsula moose research project that the department began in February.
Along with the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community and Northern Michigan University, the DNR fitted 20 moose with GPS collars to track their location in an effort to understand why the moose population in the western Upper Peninsula isn't growing at a faster rate.
According to the DNR, moose were reintroduced to the western UP in the mid-1980s, and despite the population growing, it still remains shorter than the goal of having 1,000 moose by 2000. The 2023 biennial aerial survey estimated 426 moose.
So, the organizations worked with a helicopter crew to fit 20 moose with GPS collars—five calves, five bulls and 10 cows—that will transmit location data every hour for the next seven to 14 years. Collars on the calves will expand to accommodate their growth and automatically detach after 14 months.
In a post to Facebook on Thursday, the DNR said that since the study's launch, they have collected more than 50,000 GPS points from the 20 collared moose.
Over the past two weeks, the DNR said that at least six of the 10 cows have given birth to nine calves. Three cows have had single calves and three had twins. The DNR confirmed the births using GPS movement data and heat-sensing drones.
"By watching each moose’s daily step distance, we could detect when the cows were likely going into labor. Once her movement patterns changed dramatically, heat-sensing drones were used to observe her and the calves," the DNR said.
In the photo above, you can see the tiny white speck in the center of the black-and-white image that shows the mother moose and her young, captured from over 300 feet on the ground. "This non-invasive technology allows researchers to confirm calving while keeping a safe and quiet distance."
The DNR said that since the study started, two of the five calves that were collared have died, but none of the adult collared moose have died.
According to the DNR, the first calf died from unknown trauma. A necropsy found the female calf had cranial trauma, but there was no evidence of a vehicle strike or predation. The DNR said that moose can be injured by falling, colliding or in encounters with other animals.
The second calf was found in a stream with suspected wolf bite marks, which the DNR said is an example of the predator-prey ecology.
"By overlaying the calf’s GPS data with GPS data of nearby collared wolves, they identified clear overlap with one specific adult female wolf. Not only that - GPS data showed the wolf and calf at the same location at the same time, followed by the calf’s death," the DNR said.
The photo above shows tracks from a collared wolf in red and the collared calf moose in blue
Out of the 20 moose in the study, the DNR said this is the first confirmed wolf kill, but it is not unexpected.
"What makes this moment significant is that it marks a first for Michigan’s most in-depth study of moose mortality - and builds a clearer picture of how moose function in the ecosystem," the DNR said.
Next winter, the DNR and other organizations hope to get tracking collars on 40 moose.
