La Mauricie National Park of Canada
Moose and Wolf: More than a Question of Survival
A moose
© Parks Canada/Jacques PleauDid you know that La Mauricie National Park is the most easterly Canadian national park that is still home to a wolf pack? The wolf is a key species in the forest ecosystem. As a predator at the top of the food chain the wolf ensures the health of ungulate populations. Despite the significant number of moose in the park, the protection of the wolf is still a great challenge.
The national parks policy stipulates that ecosystems must receive the highest degree of protection to maintain areas where the natural environment is relatively unaffected by human activity. An understanding of the population dynamics of the species protected and related conservation issues is required to develop appropriate conservation strategies. In order to monitor the evolution of the moose population and identify the factors that might jeopardise its integrity, the Natural Resources Conservation Service has held regular inventories since the creation of the park in 1970. Consequently, the wolf population has received particular attention.
The Situation of the Moose
In 2000 the moose population in La Mauricie National Park was estimated at 5.3 animals per 10 km2. Since the creation of the park, the prohibition of hunting has allowed the herd to increase from 35 to approximately 300 individuals (Figure 1). In 2000, 109 winter yards were inventoried by helicopter. Since the first inventory the number of moose per yard has remained stable at 2.3. Despite this data the moose’s situation is preoccupying.
Evolution of the moose population in La Mauricie National Park, 1971-2000.© Parks CanadaThe Use of Land Adjacent to the Park
Intensive logging on land surrounding the park, between 1980 and 1990, has caused a significant loss of habitat for the moose and facilitated access for hunters. This has significantly reduced the moose density in land adjacent to the park (0.7 moose/10 km2, winter 1989).
The annual kill due to hunting along the periphery of the park is high. Between 1982 and 1990, an average of 32 moose (1.5 moose/10 km2) were killed on a strip of land 3 km wide surrounding the park (excluding the Mastigouche and Saint-Maurice Wildlife Reserves and the eastern shore of the Saint-Maurice River). This harvest represented 13% of the winter population of the park in 1989.
This peripheral hunting affects the population characteristics. The density of the population is significantly lower in the southern portion of the park where 63% of the annual kill occurs. Furthermore, the productivity (number of young per female and the percentage of calves) is higher next to hunting zones than in the centre of the park.
In short, peripheral hunting influences the herd by slowing and limiting the expansion of the population, and by unnaturally lowering the average age of the heard. This effect is notable in sectors bordering the hunting zones. Due to its size and particular configuration, the park insures the protection of approximately 75% of reproductive moose.
Ageing of Park Vegetation
Due to the total suppression of forest fires during the last 30 years, young forests (0-20 years), capable of supplying large quantities of highly nutritious food are practically absent in the park. Although the carrying capacity of the park has probably not yet been reached, the absence of regeneration zones encourages the migration of moose towards logging areas bordering the park, making them vulnerable to hunting.
The Precarious Situation of the Wolf
The wolf, like the black bear, is an important factor in the natural dynamics of the moose population. These two species, however, evolve in territories that significantly exceed the park boundaries, which make them vulnerable to hunting, trapping and depredation control. The state of the wolf population in the park is therefore precarious. One of the two packs that had frequented the park for many years disappeared between 1988 and 1993. The presence of the wolf has become increasingly sporadic in the park, so much so that we can no longer affirm that it adequately fulfills its ecological role. Given its limited size the ability of the park to maintain a viable wolf population is uncertain.
A Conservation Challenge
We need to continue to improve our knowledge of the state of large mammal populations. It is also important to identify the actions needed to ensure the natural evolution of the moose population and the survival of the wolf in the Laurentian ecosystem. Among these objectives are:
- Evaluation of the impact of peripheral hunting and logging on the evolution of the moose herd.
- Re-evaluation of the carrying capacity of the park vegetation in regards to the moose.
- Re-establishment of the role of fires in the natural dynamics of the forest ecosystem, keeping in mind the other natural disturbances, such as insect epidemics and windfall. Approximately 20% of the park’s surface should be young forest (0-20 years). In order to increase the moose population to a level capable of supporting the presence of wolf.
- Permanent monitoring of the wolf, deer and moose populations.
- Harmonization of park management with that of adjacent land in order to preserve the natural evolution of ecosystems and the dynamics of large range animals.
In the future, every effort will be made to maintain the presence of a wolf pack in the park. The wolf plays a vital role in determining the structure of one of the characteristic and fragile food chains in the Laurentian ecosystem.
A Recent Study on Wolves
In April 2000, a study to document the ecology of the wolf population in and around La Mauricie National Park was initiated. This project was done in collaboration with the University of Sherbrooke (Mario Villemure M.Sc. and Marco Festa - Bianchet Ph.D.), Parks Canada and the Société de la faune et des parcs du Québec.
The main objectives of this study were to evaluate the size and distribution of the wolf population; determine the causes of mortality and how these effect the population dynamics; evaluate the influence of human activity on wolf behaviour; document the relationship (predation, competition, and the possibility of hybridization) between the wolf and the coyote; and to locate dens and other important sites for the wolf.
During the study, 16 wolves and 6 coyotes were fitted with radio-transmitting collars and tracked with radio-telemetry equipment. Animal captures, data collection, observation, tracking, howling sessions, and feces collection constituted the bulk of the fieldwork for this two-year study. Blood samples were also collected from the animals and sent to Paul Wilson, a geneticist from Trent University, in Ontario.
Preliminary results confirm the precarious state of the wolf in the Mauricie greater ecosystem. The considerable decrease in the number of wolves in both packs that were studied is cause for concern. When park wolves wander outside park boundaries they are vulnerable to both trapping and hunting. While the maximum rate of exploitation to avoid a decline in the wolf population is thought to be 30 %, the actual rate in the study area is much higher.
The territory used by the wolf packs greatly exceeds the boundaries of the park. Only one pack uses the park year round, with 74% of its territory within the park’s boundaries. The other pack uses the park mostly in winter, with only 19% of its territory within park boundaries. Ecologically speaking, the park is small and cannot completely ensure the protection of wolves found inside its limits. Furthermore, the increasing number of summer visitors affects the behaviour of wolves.
It is interesting to note that the genetic analysis done as part of the study confirmed that the wolves in and around the park are part of the Eastern Wolf sub-species (Canis lupus lycaon). In May 2001, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) listed the sub-species in the special concern category. The park can play a key role in the protection of the wolf given that it is a protected area at the eastern edge of the sub-species range. Furthermore, the study has been prolonged through funding from the Parks Canada Species at Risk Recovery Fund, a program supported by the National Strategy for the Protection of Species at Risk.
This study will provide the basis for the development of conservation strategies to ensure the viability of the wolf population in the park. It will also help in the identification of protection measures to reduce the impact of human disturbances. However, more data is needed to document the long-term impact of human activity both within and outside the park boundaries. A method to monitor the wolf population in the area surrounding the park also needs to be developed in order to follow the long-term evolution of the population.
Denis Masse, M.Sc. biol.
Wildlife Manager