Moose

The other day at breakfast my husband asked me if there are any moose in Minnesota. In reply, I laughed and said, “Yes, but the real question is ‘how many?’.” I should note that my husband consults me about natural science, spelling and writing matters. He is the go to person for all things technical and mathematical.

Moose and Minnesota are fairly synonymous. When staying at our favorite hotel in Minneapolis, a sleek, Euro-designed Marriott, the first thing we see when walking into the grand lobby is a giant painting of a moose. Plus, every store selling Minnesota souvenirs is loaded with moose stuff; socks, T shirts, slippers, moose crossing signs, etc. etc. The loon merchandise can’t even come close.

I was certain about the presence of moose in the land of 10,000 lakes, but I did need to consult the oracle about their numbers and status. It turns out the current estimated population is 3,030.

America has fifteen states that host moose: Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington,Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Alaska is the state with the most moose, about 170,000 to 200,000. I have a whole series of pictures in one of my children’s programs of Alaskan moose ambling through MacDonald’s parking lots, cruising down highways, and on front porches. These guys aren’t shy.

The state with the second highest numbers is Maine with estimates of 60,000 to 70,000 of these huge herbivores wandering around. My state, Wisconsin, has only 50 or less moose and they probably drifted in from Minnesota or the Upper Peninsula. We have no moose guests in the Tooley Cafe. However, I did visit a school in the northern part of my state where the kids told me they could not go out to play for several recesses due to a moose on their playground.

For an absolutely splendid overview of all things moose, consult Mooseworld.com.

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2 thoughts on “Moose”

  1. Magnificent animals. We saw so many in Alaska. We were told it was illegal to blow a car horn at them if they were in the road. Traffic just waits until the moose decides to move.

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