B.C. government needs your help identifying moose with ticks

In a battle against winter ticks that prey on moose, the B.C. government is enlisting the help of the publicfor its annualonline survey.

They're asking people to record their observations of moose via an online form anytime they spot one. In particular, they're looking for any signs of hair loss on the animal.

The hair loss is one of the side effects of a tick infestation, according to wildlife veterinarianHelen Schwantje.

This particular species of winter tick attaches itself to a single moose for the duration of its life cycle in the fall months, feeding on the moose's blood throughout the winter and falling off in the spring to breed.

In some cases, a single moose can play an unwitting host to tens of thousands of ticks.

Theticks themselves are very itchy, sothe moose willbite at themselves, scratch at themselves with their legs, and in so doing, remove hair.

The extent of hair loss on a mooseis a rough indicator of how many ticks are presentand can be easily recorded from a distance.

While the ticks can cause blood loss and even anemia in some animals, the hair loss itself can be dangerous.

"When you are constantly grooming and scratching hair off, you're not eating. When you scratch your hair off you're really exposed to the elements,"Schwantjesaid.

"Younger animals at the end of the winter are very thin.They don't have a lot of hair and they're anemic. In that sort of a situation, sometimes they die of exposure."

The results of the survey will help develop models and trend maps to better understand outbreaks,Schwantjesaid.

"There's a lot of other pressures on moose," she said. "If we can reduce the impact of at least one of those factors that causes problems for them, then maybe they have a better chance of surviving and going on with reasonable population levels so that we can enjoy them in the future."

According to the provincial government,there are between 120,000 and 200,000 moose in B.C.

Listen to the full interview on Daybreak North: