We would miss the moose if they disappear.

Recent counts of moose in northeast Minnesota have confirmed the mascot of the north is in trouble.

A recent count determined the moose count at 4,020 in 2016; although that’s up a bit from the 3,450 count of 2015, it’s not a significant increase, the Department of Natural Resources told MPR News. Northeastern Minnesota’s highest moose population estimate of 8,840 occurred in 2006, so population has declined 55 percent since then, the DNR said.

This isn’t just a northern Minnesota problem. Losing a native animal is a concern for all Minnesotans. Once an animal has disappeared, it’s difficult to re-establish.

Parasites are identified as one probable factor of the decline in moose population, which goes hand-in-hand with climate change and the disappearance of habitat. The large animals use mature forests for shelter but also need young forests for feeding. And that kind of forest is getting harder to find.

Moose hunting has been called off and that management practice makes sense, but focus on the problem needs to intensify to keep the numbers from dropping precipitously.

A coalition of groups is spending nearly $3 million to restore the animal’s habitat in northeast Minnesota, MPR reports. Planting efforts such as these are part of the urgent action that needs to be taken, along with continued research by wildlife biologists. The more information, the better the chances of stopping this problem.

Moose are an iconic symbol of our northern climate. Seeing it disappear would be a great loss for Minnesota and an ominous warning of possible things to come.

— Mankato Free Press, Feb. 20