PERCEPTIONS OF MOOSE-HUMAN CONFLICTS IN AN URBAN ENVIRONMENT

Urban expansion produces obvious and deleterious ecological effects on wildlife habitat. Land development plans continue to be approved in Prince George, British Columbia, both within and on proximate land that is occupied by moose (Alces alces). We surveyed 100 residents of Prince George to determine how they perceive potential conflicts with moose and compared those perceptions with available local data. The majority (~75%) indicated that there were <50 moose-human encounterswithin Prince George in any given year; however, 222 moose-related reports occurred from April 2007-March 2008. This discrepancy indicates that the public probably underestimates both the presence of moose and moose-human conflicts in Prince George. We did not find that outdoor enthusiasts were more knowledgeable than others about managing moose-human conflicts, suggesting that broad public education and awareness programs are warranted. Understanding how to respond to moose and developing a “Moose Aware” program were two suggested strategies to reduce conflict. The vast majority of residents (92%) enjoy moose and want moose to remain part of the Prince George environment; only 9% were in favour of euthanasia or sharp-shooting to resolve conflicts. Because 40% indicated that the best option was leaving moose alone, managers will need to develop more effective strategies to minimize and manage moose-human conflicts