BY TONAYA MARR, LEADER-POST
REGINA — The pair of recent moose sightings in Regina may seem like a fluke, but the city-visiting animals may be a sign of a growing moose population in southern Saskatchewan.
With the moose comes the possibility of the moose’s natural predator: wolves.
“(The moose population has) expanded quite a bit in southern Saskatchewan over the last 20 years,” said Gary Provencher, a conservation officer for the Ministry of Environment. “From what we know, they’ve just wandered in from northern areas or areas like Cypress Hills and Moose Mountain where they’ve always been and they’ve found good areas of habitat and their population has expanded over the years.”
The wolves may be following their food source south as well, according to Provencher.
“The main natural predator of moose is wolves, and we’re starting to get them showing up in southern Saskatchewan in the odd spot,” he said.
According to Provencher, individual wolves have been seen in a couple areas near Saskatoon and Swift Current, considerably further south than they’ve been in the past.
“It’s now quite possible that we might end up with more wolves in southern Saskatchewan, too,” said Provencher.
At this point, there’s little concern over wolves in southern Saskatchewan, but if more wolf sightings occur, attempts to manage the population may need to be made.
Northern areas of the province, including Hudson’s Bay and Nipawin, have had to establish bounties on wolves through the local municipalities to manage the wolf population.
The only other predators of moose in the south are humans, and hunting seasons have been established to help control the population. But in the area around Regina, where the human population is dense, establishing hunting seasons can be a bit of a challenge. High-calibre rifles aren’t allowed, so hunters must use “primitive” weapons like bows, crossbows and muzzle loaders.
“A lot of times they’re not as effective as a big-game rifle,” said Provencher.
Currently, a limited number of 100 moose are hunted in Zone 20, which encompasses Regina, Moose Jaw and much of the area south of the Qu’Appelle River.
“Last year it was 75, the year before it was 25, so it’s increasing. We’re trying to target our harvesting activities around the major urban areas where moose sometimes get into trouble,” said Brad Tokaruk, from the fish and wildlife branch in the Ministry of Environment.
Motor vehicle accidents with wildlife are another problem facing Saskatchewan drivers. More than 300 people were injured last year in vehicular collisions with wildlife, and two people lost their lives as a result of the incidents, according to SGI. In the Regina area, 86 people had run-ins with moose and deer in 2010. However, numbers were down from 2010, when 386 people provincewide were injured in collisions with wildlife.