Fish and Game wants your help counting the moose in Anchorage

Anchorage wildlife biologists want to know how many moose are roaming the city, and they're asking the public for help.

Staff from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game will be out Sunday and Monday darting and collecting fresh feces from moose in the Anchorage Bowl in an effort to collect DNA that could help quantify the size of the city's moose population. But in order to find those moose, they're asking that the public call, text or message them through the department website.

The effort is part of a pilot study to better count the moose in preparation for a larger survey in the fall. The darting — which uses a specialized dart that collects a small tissue sample before falling off the animal — does not require sedating the moose.

Requesting public assistance in finding the moose is a first for the department, according to department spokesman Ken Marsh.

Moose counts are traditionally done via aerial surveys, according to Anchorage research biologist Sean Farley. He said biologists are able to easily spot the dark brown moose in contrast to the white snow while flying overhead.

But Anchorage is a challenging place to survey for moose. Flight restrictions over the city make it difficult to conduct accurate aerial surveys, he said, and multiple low-snow years means any possible aerial count would be inaccurate.

"The error becomes too huge," Farley said in a phone interview Wednesday.

Farley said the DNA samples will allow the department to see if there are genetic relationships between moose in the area. He said the department does collared moose surveys to track how moose move, but that genetic testing will be able to tell whether moose that are related to one another are staying in certain areas or moving out of them.

Knowing that could help determine population size in the future, he said, and knowing population size can influence future moose management decisions.

Farley said there hasn't been a moose count in the Anchorage Bowl since at least late 2014, when the department surveyed moose in Kincaid Park in relation to a Board of Game proposal that would have allowed moose hunting in the area.

[Kincaid Park moose hunt plan dead on arrival at Alaska Board of Game]

If you spot a moose in Anchorage on Sunday or Monday, call the department at 907-267-2253, send a text to 907-782-5051 or submit a report online. Reports should include location, time of sighting and the number of moose.

Department spokesman Marsh added that the public should always avoid approaching moose and should also be aware of Fish and Game staff out collecting DNA. He said to give staff — who will be wearing orange vests with a Fish and Game logo — space while they work.