Originally Posted By: Treeseeker
Quote:
Wolves have decimated the moose population in Minnesota. Recent official numbers prove that the wolf is largely responsible for the dramatic decline in the moose population of NE Minnesota.


This may be true and if so it would indicate that there were no significant predators for the moose and thus they were above the normal population for a balanced ecosystem.

Once the moose population declines to a certain level, the wolf population will also decline due to lack of food.

On the flip side, overpopulation of the moose will have a negative effect on their food source (in this case, specific plants). As their food source becomes scarce the moose population will begin to decline just as the wolves.


True in areas of limited resources. You would enjoy a visit to Murphy City or Isabella MN in the heart of MN moose country. You would be amazed at the abundance of wild spaces and perfect habitat that a million moose couldn't degrade. This habitat extends nearly unbroken for hundreds of miles into Canada.

There have always been wolves in MN, but with new roads and trails due to recreation, logging, mining, and remote land leases by new foreign owners of legacy paper company forests, they have artificial access to moose, especially in winter. Wolves are not dying back with the moose. On the contrary, they are increasing to record numbers and killing different animals, in larger packs, over a greater range.
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