Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Reading the newspaper a couple of weeks ago, I saw some startling images: photographs that showed a skinny moose with tufting fur and grey patchy shoulders crossing Highway No. 3. This didn’t look like a healthy animal. In fact, tufting hair can be a sign of ticks. While moose can carry a few hundred ticks without serious harm, major infestations can cause discomfort and over-grooming, leaving moose underfed and vulnerable to weather and predation. This should concern us.
The moose, Alces alces, is an important animal for Aboriginal people in the NWT, including the people of the Deh Cho. A 2009 study found that moose in this region were productive and in good to excellent condition, but these animals may be subject to new pressures. Cold winters and summer forest fires have managed tick populations in the past, but if winters continue to become warmer and shorter as our climate changes, this problem will grow more severe. When infected animals move north, warmer weather means more insect larvae survive. As Northerners, we’re familiar with annoying bugs, but unlike us, animals can’t seek shelter indoors, spray repellent or use a fly swatter, and insects like ticks and mosquitoes can stress moose, including vulnerable calves, impacting their health and also their birthweights.
The forest fire season brings its own challenges. Fires may help forest regrowth, not to mention bring delicious morels, but they also damage animal habitats.
Let’s think about that skinny, patchy moose again. Fortunately, these ticks don’t threaten humans, and meat from infected moose is still edible. Fortunately, too, we haven’t had to impose hunting restrictions like in some parts of Manitoba. Still, I hope that the GNWT will closely monitor moose health and take steps to ensure that moose populations remain strong and healthy. We must ensure that these important animals get the respect that they deserve.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. The Member for Hay River North, Mr. Bouchard.
