KANANASKIS – An interpretive trail has been closed to give a moose and her calves some space and security.
On Monday (June 6), the Eau Claire Campground Interpretive Trail in Spray Valley Provincial Park was closed until further notice.
“A female moose with two calves is frequenting the trail and the surrounding willows,” according to the Alberta Parks notice.
“Previous separation between the cow and a calf has caused stress in the animals.”
During spring from late May to early June, cow moose commonly produce only one calf per year, but can have up to three calves.
While usually not aggressive, a moose that is stressed or a cow moose protecting her young may be easily provoked into an attack. An agitated moose may show behaviours such as neck and back hairs standing up, ears going back against its head, snorting and licking lips.
Alberta Parks warns people against approaching moose calves that have been left alone by their mothers.
The mother may have temporarily left the calf in a safe spot and may not be too far away.
“Moose mothers can also be very protective,” according to an Alberta government website on human-moose interactions. “If she senses that you are too near her calf, she may defend them.”
Moose live across the northern boreal and foothills of Alberta. The most recent provincial population estimate from 2014 is 115,000 animals.
According to a 2019 study by fRI Research, moose over the last 40 years have spread south into the parkland and grasslands natural regions.
“These changes in the distribution of moose are driven by climate change, predation pressure, habitat change, recreational harvest, and disease,” states the research paper, titled Moose Habitat and Populations in Alberta: Boreal and Foothill Regions.
