Recent sightings of moose with mangy, silvery white blotches on their normally shiny dark coats have people wondering if the “ghost-moose” phenomenon has spread to Colorado.
A recent spot on featured a photo by a viewer of two of the rough-looking creatures. “Spend some time in Colorado’s outdoors this time of year and you might come across a ghost moose,” anchor Kyle Clark said.
Denver Post photographer Helen H. Richardson spotted two moose near Nederland with the same kind of discolored coats.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife staffers say the moose might be shedding their winter coats. Or they could be infested with winter ticks, which can drive the big gangly creatures to rub against trees to the point of losing their dark brown hair.
However, CPW researcher Eric Bergman said Friday that Colorado isn’t experiencing the kind of infestations that have stressed moose populations in other parts of the country.
From Maine to Minnesota, people have reported a growing problem with ticks glomming onto moose by the tens of thousands. The report on climate change said the animal rubs against trees and uses its hooves and teeth to try to get rid of the pests, exposing its white undercoat and skin. The beleaguered beasts have been given the pitiful name “ghost moose.”
Infestations of winter ticks in some areas have become worse because shorter, warmer weather and early snow melt increase the animals’ length of exposure to the pests, according to wildlife researchers. The ticks hitch a ride in the fall and stay until spring when they drop off to lay their eggs. can become anemic as more of the blood-suckers latch on, while adult moose become weaker and more susceptible to disease and predators.
Winter ticks don’t bother with people and don’t cause as many problems for deer and elk, possibly because the animals groom themselves more than moose, according to wildlife biologists.
In Colorado, Bergman said there are a number of reasons moose have discolored coats. It could be because of ticks, but the animals are also shedding their winter coats now, which leaves them looking ragged.
“It’s pretty much the natural course of things. Moose have evolved to go through this and it’s a pretty efficient strategy for them to tolerate a wide range of climatic conditions throughout the course of a year,” Bergman said in an email.
Some moose in Colorado do get infested by ticks, but the number of animals that have problems is low compared to other states, Bergman added. The ticks aren’t a threat to the moose population like they are in other parts of the country.
Moose — weighing 800 to 1,200 pounds and standing up to 6 feet at the shoulder — are Although they’re a big draw for wildlife watchers, moose were rare in the state until just a few decades ago. Wildlife biologists started releasing moose from Wyoming and Utah near Walden in North Park and later in southwestern Colorado to build the numbers.
Now, there are about 3,000 moose in Colorado and they continue to expand their range, occasionally wandering into Front Range communities and leading to more run-ins with people.
