After the spring came into its own and the temperature established rather stable, in our Leningrad region for summer pastures began to move the moose.
This time of year they can be found almost everywhere. Especially on the roads in the spring and early summer, drivers should be especially vigilant. Moose can appear out of the forest suddenly surprised than hunter and the driver. Especially reckless behavior by young individuals. I noticed unusual behavior of elk in the woods — in their natural habitat and in open areas, forest edges, predpole and, of course, on roads with heavy traffic. These trails are all over the Leningrad region, and most of the tracks bordered by forests on roadsides. In the woods these young individuals are quite courageous. If to speak about unusual terrain, the actions of the calves are impossible to predict. They can cross the road and immediately turn back. They are very shy and can run on the road even in the daytime, to say nothing of twilight. In my experience meeting with them at close range in a forest, and the risk of collision with wild animals on the road, the highest after dark, an hour before and after sunset and immediately after sunrise. All these observations, of course, have their reasons, reasons. And if on the track the driver and the animal can rescue speed enforcement in the woods at dusk to see the “migratory” elk from a distance of several meters in this time quite often. Another thing is that to travel through the forest in the twilight, people are not very comfortable.
But now we are talking not so much about comfort, time and place where the meeting with the moose during spring and summer migration is most likely, how about the abilities of a wild animal instinctively analyze the situation. Yes, young individuals are brave, inexperienced and somewhat unpredictable. However, the analytical skills of adult moose can also be assessed ambiguously. About two months ago in the lake Civically that in Finland, not far from the village of Rääkkylä drowned an entire herd of five adult males. The frozen lake can be seen quite well, and five males were in the same cold ice-hole. To help them was not possible, because everything happened very quickly. Strictly speaking, the case is unusual, because in one place, and even among males, such a tragedy so massive happen often.
Members of the local hunting club a few hours raised the carcass from the water, as the bodies of animals drowned in the lake can not throw to them in the summer is not washed up and not having water contamination epidemic. Adult males weigh from 280 to 500 kg, and to get them had with the boat, two tractors and winches. As an edible meat drowned carcasses not fit, had to use the meat for hunting dogs.
It is noticed that in summer and winter, females with young travel in groups of three to four goals, which then can join other person, and create a herd up to eight animals. Elk is the largest species of the deer family. It has your feeding habits and migration associated with the time of year. The basis of the diet of grazing animals is grass and shrubs. In the winter in the stomachs of moose, at very low ambient temperatures, the bulk of the food consists of branches of pine, aspen, birch, Rowan and other trees and shrubs.
A great loss for the entire population of moose calls for the analysis of the situation and some conclusions.
On the ice moose kicked hunger. Spring thin ice broke under their weight. Moose died because of that are unable to push herself out of the water on thick ice. It turns out that even an adult elk is not the most intelligent animal. Instinct makes them move, but not reward the ability to assess the situation, for example, as bears. We hardly know the cases yield no brown bears on thin ice or on the highway. And the local “skinny” brown, and big Kamchatka bears — happy careful. You can not say about the moose.
