MARQUETTE, Mich. (WZMQ) – Attention moose lovers, the Peter White Public Library hosted a look back to when moose could fly.
The Northern Center for Lifelong Learning presented a discussion on the origins of the current moose population and how important it is to maintain a sustainable number of moose. Ann Hilton Fisher, a local moose expert, talked about the great moose lift of 1985 and 87 where helicopters were used to deliver the moose to the champion area of Marquette County.
“But I will tell you the goal that they thought they could achieve was 1000 moose by the turn of the century, by the year 2000, it hasn’t worked, the population has been stuck at about 500 so they’re sustaining but they’re not growing,” explained Hilton Fisher.
In total, 59 moose were relocated from Canada to the UP where the number of moose now stands around 500 Hilton also talked about how the native moose died out in the late 19th century due to over logging, disease, and loss of habitat.
“I’m going to be talking about the history, including, sort of the first moose lift. There was actually an attempt in the 30s to relocate moose from Isle Royale to the UP, but it didn’t work. And so I’m going to be mostly talking about the 85 and 87 ones,” said Hilton fisher.
One of the most serious threats to our moose population is a condition called Brain worm, a parasite that spreads to moose through White Tail Deer.
“And so the fact that they’re not keeping up their strength, combined with the parasite loads can be pretty serious and weaken them so that they die over the course of the winter
