- 96 - MINNESOTA'S 1971 MOOSE HUNT: A PRELIMINARY REPORT ON THE BIOLOGICAL COLLECTIONS II Patrick D. Karns Research Biologist Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Grand Rapids, Minnesota 55744 Minnesota's first moose hunt in 49 years was held in 1971, and preliminary results of this hunt were presented at the 8th North American Moose Workshop. As no season was held in 1972, this is an update of our findings from the 1971 moose hunt. Blood specimens were collected by hunters for hematology, blood chemistry, and serology for leptospirosis, brucellosis, bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR), bovine virus diarrhea (BVD), parainfluenza-3 (PI-3), and blue tongue (BT). Initial findings regarding the hematology and blood chemistry are in a paper presented at the International Symposium on Moose Ecology (LeResche et al. In press). Serological testing for leptospirosis revealed 9.7% of the animals from northwestern Minnesota were positive at titers 1:100 or greater, and 0.9% of the moose tested from northeastern Minnesota were positive. The serological types occurring were identified as Leptospira pomona and ~. grippotyphosa. ~. pomona was recovered from the northeast and ~. grippotyphosa from the northwest. Cattle and swine populations are virtually non-existent on the moose range in northeastern Minnesota,
- 97 - while cattle and moose co-habit the range in northwestern Minnesota. In northwestern Minnesota during the period July 1, 1971, through June 30, 1972, 13.8% of the cattle serums checked had titers of 1:100 or higher for leptospirosis. While leptospirosis has been identified in moose, its role as a moose pathogen and in the epidemiology of leptospirosis remains unknown. All moose checked were negative for brucellosis. Minnesota was declared a brucellosis-free state for cattle in July 1970. Brucellosis is present in swine in the state, and there is no current eradication program (Diesch et al. 1972). Positive reactors in the serologic' survey of moose for the viral antibodies included 1.1% for BVD in the northwestern area and 0% in the northeast. In the case of IVR, 1.4% of the animals from the northwest were positive, whereas 5.5% of the animals from northeastern Minnesota had positive titers. For PI-3, the percent incidence was 0.5 and 0.9% for the northeast and northwest, respectively. There were no positive reactors to blue tongue. There appears to be no correlation between exposure to domestic cattle and the number of moose with positive serologic evidence for bovine viral agents. Blue tongue has been positively identified as occurring in cattle and horses in Minnesota, but not from moose or deer (Johnson et al. 1972).
- 98 - Rumen samples were taken from a number of animals to investigate the food habits of moose in october and December. For the northwestern area, willow (Salix spp.) and dogwood (Cornus spp.) accounted for 93% of the rumen volume in october and 78% in December. In December, use of other species such as Juneberry (Amelanchir spp.), trembling aspen (Quercus spp.) increased in this area. In northeastern Minnesota, willow and pincherry (Prunus pennsylvanica) were highly preferred, and in october and December diets were composed of balsam-fir (abies balsamea), Juneberry, Mountain maple (Acer spicatum), trembling aspen, dogwood, and hazel (Corylus spp.). The significant differences in serum proteins, albumin and gamma globulin (Table 1) reflect the differences in liver fluke (Fascioloides magna) infestation between the two areas. In northwestern Minnesota, liver fluke infestation was most severe, with an incidence of 86.7% as compared to 17.2% in northeastern Minnesota. Liver fluke infestations in the northwest involved a larger proportion of the hepatic tissue.
Table 1. Blood Chemistry of Adult Male Moose Taken in 1971 Minnesota Moose Season During october. ASSAY Albumin/ Blood urea Total Gamma Globulin Area Nitro<;fen Protein Albumin Globulin Ratio Northwest 8.5.± 3.2* 6.9 + 0.69 3.3 ± 0.39** 1.6.± 0.56** 0.93 + 0.23*** Northeast ll.5 + 3.5 6.5 + 0.65 3.7 + 0.40 1.1 + 0.37 1.34.± 0.26 co co * Values in same column differ significantly at p < 0.05 ** Values in same column differ significantly at p < 0.01 *** Values in same column differ significantly at p < 0.001
- 100 - LITERATURE CITED Diesch, S.L., D.E. Hasz and P.D. Karns. 1972. survey of 1971 Minnesota moose for leptospirosis and brucellosis. Proc. 15th Annual Conf. Amer. Assn. Vet. Lab. Diagnosticians and 76th Annual Meeting u.s. Anim. Hlth. Assn., Bal Harbour, Miami Beach, Florida. Johnson, D.W., M. Wheelock, B. Kolstad and P.D. Karns. 1972 Serologic survey of Minnesota moose for infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR), bovine virus diarrhea (BVD), parainfluenza-3 (PI-3), and blue tongue (BT) antibodies. Proc. 76th Annual Meeting Amer. Anim. Hlth. Assn., Miami, Florida. LeResche, R.E., u.s. Seal, P.D. Karns and A.W. Franzmann. In press. Blood chemistry and nutrition of moose. Proc. International Symposium on Moose Ecology, Quebec, Canada, March 1973.