Ecology and Management of the North American Moose

  • Albert W. Franzmann &
  • Charles C. Schwartz
Wildlife Management Institute / Smithsonian Institution Press, $59.95, £46.75

The North American moose, Alces alces, is the largest living deer, and roams freely across a band of forest covering Newfoundland, the Rocky Mountains, Alaska and as far south as Colorado.

If the one on the right seems a little wary, it is perhaps no surprise. Prized by native Americans and an important part of their culture, the moose was hunted by European settlers almost to extinction by the start of this century; the population has since recovered to around a million. Hunting still goes on (but licensed now), and man kills a further 3,500 in road accidents each year.

Albert W. Franzmann and Charles C. Schwartz have brought together 21 wildlife researchers to describe the moose's biology and ecology and analyse the strategies of managing and living alongside the animal. The result is the comprehensive.