Canada: Smartphone app tracks moose population

The moose population has seen a decline across North America in recent years but environment officials aren't sure why

Wildlife managers in western Canada are getting a helping hand when it comes to tracking the moose population, thanks to a new smartphone app.

The MyMoose app shares real time data of where and how frequently the creatures have been spotted across the province of British Columbia, the Globe and Mail website reports. The information is uploaded mainly by hunters - but it isn't intended to encourage hunting. Instead, its main aim is to help environmental officials monitor the moose population in the province, which has seen a steep decline in some areas.

"Currently we've got 350 members contributing data and we have almost 1,000 surveys submitted," says the app's creator, Sean Simmons. He describes MyMoose users as "committed" to helping collect the information. "What they say is: 'Assure me that what I'm doing is going to be helpful'," he tells the site.

The app, which launched in August, shows the general location of moose sightings, but limits the audience for more detailed GPS data to only wildlife biologists, so that animals won't be at increased risk of being hunted. "This is our first experiment to see what sort of data we can actually generate," says Mr Simmons.

In 2014 the provincial government began investigating why parts of British Columbia have seen moose numbers fall by up to 70% in recent years, a pattern repeated elsewhere in North America. It launched a five-year study which includes the tracking of more than 200 moose using radio collars.

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