Since July 1, 2015 the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has counted 183 moose killed in vehicle collisions and 70 that were hit but not recovered.
Local Wildlife Biologist Jeff Selinger says those numbers are similar to the past couple of years but lower than the approximately 250 moose per year killed when the animals’ population was higher.
Selinger: “Since our moose populations have dropped, in the northern part of the Kenai especially in the mountains of the Soldotna and out to Nikiski and down to Kasilof, our moose numbers in those areas are decreased from previous years and our road kill numbers are down slightly but not a lot.”
He says the mild winters have also helped drivers avoid moose since road conditions have been better than usual.
Selinger says the Department is estimating that moose populations have continued to decline but they have not had the right conditions to pursue aerial census of the animals due to the low snowfall.
Selinger: “The tracks stick out better and the animals show up much better on a white background, so we need conditions of 8+ inches of good snow cover with the ground frozen so it retains the snow and then we need a weather window of about five days after the snowfall to complete the census within one sub unit.”
The last census was taken in 2013.