by Christian Francis, Mi’kmawey Forestry Stewardship Officer, CMM
A Cow Moose from the Cape Breton population. Photo by Cody Chapman, Mi’kmawey Forestry
Moose have long been an important part of the ecology of Nova Scotia’s Acadian forests, filling an essential ecological niche in the province’s natural environment. Due to its ecological significance, as well as its importance to both the Mi’kmaq and to early European settlers as a food source; moose have long been an important component of the province’s natural and cultural identity. Once the province’s most abundant deer species, moose on Nova Scotia’s mainland today are exceedingly rare and are facing numerous threats to their long-term survival. These threats include habitat loss, disease and parasites spread by introduced white-tailed deer, and illegal poaching. These hazards have resulted in a dwindling, increasingly isolated and fragmented moos ...
