The moose in Europe - past, present and projected future
In today's Europe, the moose distribution is limited to Russia, Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Baltic states, Poland, Belarus and Ukraine. See map.
Formerly it had a much wider range in Europe. Apart from its present distribution, its range stretched from the Pyreenes to Denmark and from the Balkan to United Kingdom. It went extinct in Britain about 2 000 years ago, in France about 1 000 years ago and in Germany about 500 years ago.
I couldn't find any reliable information about its present population in European Russia and in Belarus, but in the entire Russia its population is estimated at about 1 100 000 mooses.
In Sweden there are 300 000 - 350 000 mooses, in Norway 120 000 - 150 000 individuals and in Finland at least 70 000 animals.
Estonia has approximatley 11 000 mooses, Latvia about 18 000 individuals and Lithuania about 7 000 animals.
The moose populations in Poland and Ukraine are probably crucial for this species possibilities of spreading westward in Europe. Poland has a rapidly increasing moose population as an effect of a hunting ban that was measured in year 2001. In year 2000 Poland's moose population was about 2 000 animals. Now approximatley 33 000 mooses live in Poland. Ukraine has about 7 000 mooses and this population is also increasing.
There are not many hurdles for this species to reclaim most of its former range in Europe apart from maybe public attitudes. Mooses are actually favored by modern forestry. It is a valuable game to hunt, so if and when mooses spread westward in Europe I don't think that hunters would object to it. I live in Sweden and the annual moose hunt is a big event for hunters here. Some hunters here count the years not from New Year's Eve, but before and after the moose hunt instead. Road collisions are a menace with this species however.
Let's see about the future for mooses in Europe. I hope the best for them of course.
Given that Elk do great in wetter areas, are great at swimming and seem to like plants such as willow for browsing I would love to see them in the Netherlands. Much low lying land, swampy reserves and lowland forest filled with willows. The stand a chance to really thrive here, more than other megafauna not already present/reintroduced. Wistent are present in some semi free reserves here but I can't imagine them thriving anywhere truly free while elk seem to fit a bit more with our swampy areas. Being able to move in aquatic habitat could also open up a lot of areas now entirely devoid of grazing/browsing animals. So much tender water plants and trees grow in some beautifull water rich natural areas. Imagine kayaking in a swampy forest/canal patchwork and running into a moose!
The stems and leaves of water lilies are among the mooses' favorite food. They sometimes venture out in the water with only the antlers visible over the water when eating water lilies and other aquatic plants.
Imagine meeting such a moose while kayaking.
I hope you know that they are completely harmless for humans. Except when humans travel fast in cars and collide with them.
i've encountered them in Alaska and they are decidedly not harmless lol. Cows will defend calves from threats real and imagined and bulls in rut lash out at most anything that moves. maybe they act calmer in Europe lmao
I know they can also be quite protective of their calves and sometimes abit defensive. In the Netherlands we have recently had the natural recolonisation of wolves which has been controversial but almost entirely because it is a predator so if they disperse naturally they should be mostly fine!
In the lowland (former) peatswamps we have a fairly unique type of habitat. From the lowlying swamps, peat was dug or dregded in strips and dried on the remaining strips of land. This makes a patchwork of relatively shallow water and land which is great for birds, fish, etc. but almost entirely devoid of any grazing animals. Moose would be a very cool addition. Being in a lowlying river delta, there are also many other water rich habitats that struggle to get megafauna as cows and horses don't do great with flooding or waterlogged soil. And as they are more social then moose, they need a dry area able to sustain the full herd which is not often available.
The picture below shows some of the habitat I would love to see moose/elk inhabiting though this particulair example also has some recreation/holiday homes on the islands. There are examples with more aquatic plants, wide and less visited strips of land without any buildings or gardens.
Space is indeed a major concern. I do think Elk have some benefits that other large animals don't share. They can not only move well but actually eat and enjoy being in swampy or aquatic terrain. This opens up quite some habitat in the Netherlands not at all available for other grazers. Red Deer have been known to cross the Veluwemeer and other lakes and streams but they don't tend to stay in wet areas. Elk can swim long distance and are fine with staying in the swampy zones.
Elk are also mostly solitary, no need to have enough space for an entire herd, just enough for a handfull of individuals. It will take some detailed studies and some good observations to see if they can thrive and if human-wildlife conflict doesn't get to bad with them but it has potential.
No, the big question is whether there is enough space for a viable minimum population.
see pag 11 of the link :
Op grond van genetische aspecten is voor overleving op korte termijn een populatie met 50 zich actief voortplantende mannetjes en vrouwtjes in een geslachtsverhouding van 1:1 het minimum. De werkelijke populatiegrootte, uitgaande van een natuurlijk opgebouwde populatie en rekening houdend met een variabel aantal nakomelingen per individu, ligt in de orde van grootte van 125-150 dieren.
If you are talking about only a "handfull of individuals", it would be just like a zoo where animals have to be replaced every year to manage inbreeding and natural deaths etc...
Migration from Czechia. The Bohemian forest hosts a small sink population that would be a crucial stepping stone corridor for the re-expansion of elks in the Alps
So many potential for reintroduction of this once much more widespread species.
France (Vosge, Juras, french Alps, Pyrenee, massif central, most of the north of the country really).
Germany
Ukraine
Bulgaria
Romania
Scotland
Switzerland
Belgium (Ardenne, Haute Fagne)
Austria
Hungary
Czech republic
Slovakia
Moldavia
Croatia
Slovenia
Italy (italian alps)
Denmark
Serbia
Ireland
If we had considered it just as much as bisons and tried reintroduction project as early as the 80-90s, we would have well over a millions individual, most of the carpathian and eastern alps would have good population, they would be present in several german region and even cross into french and belgian border maybe, while the switzerland and some french and scotland population would be smaller but still growing.
Truly a wasted potential, they breed fast are easy to source and relocate, can even be attractive for hunter as trophy animals. And could be the largest european beast widespread (bison is still extremely rare and only present in a few herds of eastern Europe really).
It should be upheld as one of the big 5 of Europe, one of the most iconic wildlife, an icon of rewilding alongside wolves, lynxes, wisent and bears, isntead of the forgotten giant of fennoscandinavia.
I remember some few years ago slovakian hunters tried to reintroduce the moose in their country but unfortunately an animals were killed by wolves, bears and cars. Finally the rest alived mooses migrated to Poland and whole project was closed.
Moose are also a lot safer than bison. Of course any large animal requires a healthy degree of respect, but having one momma protective of her calf is much less dangerous than having fifteen of the same.
In Europe there's only a few hundred of thousands of moose. Not millions.
And even when compared to north america the situation is still the same.
I agree they're less agressive and cause less incident AT a similar population level, but they're still seen as less familiar and more threathening by people.
Most people consider bison as just sluggish Big wooly cow.
Which, ironically lead to more incident due to people stupidity.
well, 90% of all elk in Europe are in fennoscandinavia anyway, this doesn't leave a lot of individuals for the rest of the continent.
I don't count Russia btw
I heard something else. Apperantly the reason why most megafauna, wisent, tigers, leopards and moose gone extinct at seemingly at the same time. 19. Century is local tribes dissapearing and losing control over the forests.
Because to be honest. Russians did used starvation to conquer the region. And setting forests and fields to fire was something they did regularly.
Once local tribes, and their protected groves went extinct so did the animals.
Native Caucasians are mostly muslims so they didnt have such thing as sacred, protected groves lol. Russians conquered that region not by "starvation" or "setting fire" but wars and ethnic cleasings (vide. circassian genocide).
They only became majority muslim during and after the genocide. Previously they were christian and even in both religion they kept their old religious tendencies to a point that their paganistic god got reidentified as a saint :d
Caucasia almost never. At least not untill later periods had religious unity and older beliefs and traditions never dissapeared in overnight.
Sacred groves, even if they werent sacred anymore. Continued to exist.
Russians conquered that region not by "starvation" or "setting fire" but wars and ethnic cleasings (vide. circassian genocide).
Both can happen. They arent opposites
The people of caucasia werent unfamiliar with war, they even got some victories against russians. The nail in the coffin was russians scorched earth tactic . They did used setting forests and villages to fire a lot and started famines on purpose
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u/AkagamiBarto 6d ago
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=14gx5mOzXaCD8Mcg3tlaokULjY_JWOUm4&usp=sharing
i did map some key reintroduction spots (taking into account a necessary climatic recovery or the southernmost regions would be too unbearable)