Sask. study finds apparent increase in urban moose excursions

Darla Ponace · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 25, 2025 2:58 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

A three-year survey has revealed an evident summation successful moose enactment astir Saskatoon, according to researchers from the University of Saskatchewan.

Kaitlyn Harris is simply a PhD pupil focused connected wildlife successful municipality environments. She was inspired by conversations she was having astir moose sightings seeming much often successful Prairie cities.

"Specifically determination was that incidental a mates of years ago, that truly scary incidental wherever that moose crashed into that school," she said. "Thankfully determination was nary 1 harmed. The moose wasn't harmed, nary 1 was harmed." 

That led her and chap researcher Ryan Brook to look into the topic.

Harris and Brook started reasoning of ways they could foretell moose movements and mitigate these incidents.

They set up cameras astir Saskatoon and were capable to observe accrued moose enactment adjacent municipality areas, which moose had antecedently avoided.

"All of our information came from this web of way cameras that we person acceptable up distributed passim the metropolis of Saskatoon," said Harris. "We had 30 that we acceptable out."

Brook, a prof successful the section of carnal and poultry subject astatine the U of S, noted that 50 to 60 years ago, moose sightings successful confederate Saskatchewan were uncommon.

He was antecedently progressive successful moose probe 10 years ago. That survey included GPS tracking of moose betwixt Regina and Saskatoon.

"Moose don't beryllium successful these [urban] areas," helium said.

"I retrieve erstwhile I archetypal moved here, we're driving to Regina and I made my woman propulsion implicit due to the fact that I had to instrumentality a representation of a moose crossing motion thinking, 'what fool enactment this motion up? My friends are going to get a footwear retired of it,' until we passed 5 much and realized this is moose habitat."

Brook said it's becoming much communal to spot a moose successful municipality areas similar Regina and Saskatoon.

"There was 1 swimming astir however galore years agone was successful Lake Wascana for aggregate days successful the summer," helium said. "Then this moose broke done a solid model and came into a school. This is beauteous superior stuff."

WATCH | Are much moose coming into Sask. cities? 

Brook said that portion galore radical emotion seeing wildlife, immoderate animals conscionable aren't suited for metropolis living. Moose — on with achromatic bears, chaotic pigs and cougars — tin airs a information risk.

The lone mode to guarantee everyone's information is to region the animals safely to habitats they are much accustomed to.

Brook said his probe is trying to figure out hotspots for these animals. After putting up the cameras, they had immoderate absorbing findings. 

"We really person implicit 200 photos of moose showing up successful these photos," helium said. "We had 249 photos and it was crossed 12 cameras retired of 29.… We person some, of course, connected the precise periphery of the metropolis of Saskatoon, and immoderate overmuch much successful the interior city."

He said each twelvemonth sees an summation successful the period of July, conscionable aft moose breeding season. 

"What happens is females, close earlier they springiness birth, immoderate calves they person from erstwhile years, they'll footwear them distant and accidental 'you're retired connected your ain junior, instrumentality off. I'm going to person my calf by myself and that's that,'" helium said. 

Those calves who person been pursuing their ma astir are near to rotation connected their ain and sometimes end up wandering into cities and getting into trouble, Brook said.

He said the champion happening to bash if you spot a moose successful an municipality area is to support your distance, due to the fact that they are assertive and volition onslaught people.

"The lone existent enactment to negociate them successful cities is for the state to dart them and instrumentality them determination retired successful the chaotic and determination them acold retired of the city," helium said. "They've been doing that truly successfully for a agelong time."