photo credit: janiejonesmt
The scientists report that the Midwestern moose are dying in alarming rates; in the last two decades their numbers reduced from over 4000 to just a few hundred. And most scientists agree that the main cause for their depleting numbers is the climate change.
In the last four decades the winter temperatures in the Midwest have risen about 12 degrees, which does not fair well for the animals. While the moose is not on the endangered species list in the US, they are in real danger of disappearing altogether in about 50 years, scientists say. In Lake Superior, for instance, there are only about 650 of them (down from 2500 in 1995) and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula counts only 450.
While some animals, such as deer, wolves and bears, adapt to the rising temperatures, moose have to struggle to find food and shelter to keep them cool, which, according to scientists, affects their immune system, makes them susceptible to parasites and slows down their putting on fat in the summer (necessary fro the animals to survive the winters). Because moose require shade, cool weather and water to thrive, the steady rise in temperatures will have dire consequences not only for the animals themselves but the ecosystems where moose are found as well.
Unfortunately, studies have shown that unlike other species, moose do not simply move to higher altitudes, which would allow them to survive. Instead they simply die out in alarming rate. What makes the problem even graver, is the fact that stopping climate change altogether may not be quite possible and slowing it down does not happen fast enough. At least for the moose native to the American Midwest.
