The provincial government is once again asking for help assessing the effects of winter ticks on the province's moose population as part of its annual moose winter tick surveillance program.
Winter tick infestations are generally observed on moose from February through April.
In 2016, the B.C. government-led citizen reporting study collected more than 500 reports, mostly from Northern B.C. Province-wide, 61 per cent of moose sightings reported visible hair loss, up from 50 per cent in the pilot project year of 2015. In the Skeena, 56 per cent of moose observed showed some degree of hair loss over the course of the winter - up from 49 per cent in the previous year.
Heavy tick infestation can be fatal to moose, causing them to lose much of their hair and take time away from feeding to groom or rub themselves during early spring when they are at their weakest.
The program relies on observations from wildlife professionals and the general public to monitor the number of animals with hair loss, assess the amount of hair loss on each animal and estimate the overall prevalence and distribution of winter ticks.
Anyone interested in contributing to this surveillance program can fill out a survey online or, alternatively, the electronic survey can be saved and completed on your computer, tablet or mobile device and returned via email to: FLNRMooseTickSurvey@gov.bc.ca
Survey forms and background information can be found on the moose winter tick program page at http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/fw/public-consultation/moose-winter-tick/
Participants are asked to observe the amount of hair loss, if any, occurring on moose and check the survey box that most accurately describes the animal's appearance. There are five categories ranging from no hair loss to more than 80 per cent loss of winter hair.
The findings of the surveillance program will contribute to the provincial moose research program, which was initiated in 2013 to investigate factors influencing moose populations in B.C.