Mainland moose battle ticks, ATVs and clear cuts

This is the second in a series of stories from CBC's Information Morning aboutspecies that are struggling to survive in Nova Scotia, and the people who have vowed to save them.

The largest land mammal in the province is facing imminent extinction.

In recent years, the number of mainland moose hovered around 1,000, and while the Department of Lands and Forestryhasn't released its latest count, it says it'swell below that now.

"Elders and people in the know who have been watching the trends, they say it's a death by a thousands means," said Clifford Paul,moose management co-ordinator for theUnama'ki Institute of Natural Resources in Cape Breton.

What's killing them

Only a few pockets of moose still live on the mainland, including in the southwest, Guysborough and Antigonishcounties and the Cobequid region. Meanwhile, thepopulation in Cape Breton is abundant, withan estimated 5,000 moose.

Loss of habitat due to clear cuttingand human development is amajor culprit, said Paul.

So are ticks.

Global warming and human activity has forcedmore deer into the province, which carry bloody-sucking insects that can climb ontomoose.

Paul said it's possible for one moose to have tens of thousands of ticks on it. The animals thenspend more of their energy trying toreplace the blood they lose.

"The animal will rub against trees and scratch up against rocks ... to rid themselves of these ticks and in the process they lose their hair," said Paul."They call it a ghost moose because it has a no hair left on its body."

Mainland moose are also battling ATVactivity in their habitat andpoaching.

How we can save them

Paul said it's not as simple as moving moose to the mainland from Cape Breton because they area different subspecies.

"If you take them out of an order in Cape Breton and put them in a place where there's ringworm, ticks, habitat loss, and lots of factors that are not conducive to their survival, I think it's inhumane."

Rather, Paul said it's about better protecting the lands where theylive.

"I'm out there to manage ecosystems where moose can thrive, and other animals of the boreal forest can thrive. Clear cutting is not in the mindset of theMi'kmaq," he said.

Paul is calling for a two-eyed seeing approach that marries traditional Mi'kmaqknowledge with mainstream management practices.

Read more from this series:

• Highlighting Nova Scotia's species at risk