Vermont is joining a study this month to determine how vulnerable its iconic moose are to a tiny, voracious parasite.
A couple decades ago, Vermonters complained there were too many moose; they were getting hit by cars and over-grazing. So by granting more hunting licenses, wildlife officials reduced the number of moose from about 5,000 to 2,200.
Vermont wildlife biologist Scott Darling said lowering the population seems to have spared its moose from the worst effects of winter ticks. These parasites have multiplied in neighboring New Hampshire and Maine, where there’s a higher moose density.
“Animals in some of these states have had as many as 50-60,000 ticks on an individual animal,” Darling said. “At some point, particularly with calves, these ticks are sucking so much blood out of them that they simply die of anemia.”
So by putting GPS collars on the moose and following them over years, Darling said, scientists will try to find the sweet spot between the number of moose and their vulnerability to ticks.