But when only the areas of habitable range were considered, densities jumped to 730 moose per 1,000 square kilometres, among the highest densities to be found anywhere in the territory. The habitat where the moose are found is very high quality. The 1989 survey was conducted as part of the Inuvialuit Final Agreement, and a study at that time pointed out that moose populations in the area are vulnerable to both over-harvesting and development since moose habitat is so limited in the area. When the biologists returned for the repeat survey, which was also funded primarily by the Inuvialuit, they did not know exactly what they would find. In the mid-1990s, a large number of moose had died on Alaska s North Slope of undetermined causes.
Biologists can only speculate on why moose are doing so well high above the Arctic Circle.
But one possibility is that there are not as many wolves preying on the moose as there are in the southern Yukon. For one, wolf densities are thought to be lower in the northern Yukon than in other parts of the territory. Secondly the wolves may prefer eating caribou to moose. Predators in general, and wolves in this case, tend to develop a search image of their prey. Climate change could also be a factor, and Ward thinks that moose and moose habitat could possibly act as indicators for climate change in the area.