Significant Health Crisis Decreasing the Moose Population in Massachusetts
- Wanjiru Waweru
- Sep 20
- 1 min read
Wanjiru Waweru, Jadetimes Contributor
W. Waweru is a Jadetimes News Reporter Covering America News
Moose are considered “Massachusetts’ largest land animal” and can weigh periodically weighing frequently as over a thousand pounds.
They appear in Central and Western Massachusetts. They are frequently active during the Fall Season due to mating season. MassWildlife reported they are all over the place, between eight hundred and a thousand moose in Massachusetts. However, the population has decreased moose over car collisions and moose spotting by local hunters. MassWildlife reported that the moose population in Massachusetts is constantly decreasing.
Martin Feehan, Deer, and Moose Project with MassWildlife reported there are major health issues that impact the moose population, "There are some significant health threats right now to the moose population, particularly with both brain worm, which is an issue that causes neurological issues with moose, and often leads to mortalities. It's spread by white tailed deer, and you have this issue of rising deer density, which then impacts moose populations. But the other issue that is rising throughout New England is winter tick, where moose can have upwards of 100,000 winter ticks on them, and that leads to them dying."
MassWildlife stated that other New England states, such as Maine and New Hampshire, were reporting a decrease in the moose population.
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