Minnesota's iconic moose are dying off (climate change)

Minnesota's iconic moose are dying off
Scientists eye climate change as the primary reason the beloved animals are disappearing
By Tim Jones | Tribune reporter
9:30 PM EST, December 27, 2008

It wasn't long ago that thousands of moose roamed the gentle terrain of northwestern Minnesota, affirming the iconic status of the antlered, bony-kneed beast from the North Woods. In just two decades, though, their numbers have plummeted, from 4,000 to fewer than a hundred.

They didn't move away. They just died.

The primary culprit in what is known as the moose mystery, scientists say, is climate change, which has systematically reduced the Midwest's already dwindling moose population and provoked alarm in Minnesota, where wildlife specialists gathered for a "moose summit" this month in Duluth.

"There's not a lot of opportunity to turn this around," said Mark Lenarz, a wildlife research specialist at the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. "Here in Minnesota, they have been weakened by climate change."

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