For some reason I have always thought of moose as a quintessential symbol of wilderness. I've traveled to "Moose Country" several times in my life, but each time have failed to spot one. I've had plenty of encounters with their cousins, deer, elk, etc., but for some reason moose always seem elusive and special.
We arrived at Gros Morne National Park Friday afternoon and decided to spend the rest of the day exploring the southern part of the park. About a kilometer into the first trail we decided to explore we came across a large bull moose only a few feet from the trail. At first we kept our distance, but slowly worked our way closer and got to take some really close up pictures of him. It was a really cool experience.
Moose are not native to Newfoundland. Two were introduced in the late 1800 from nearby Nova Scotia. Thinking that the introduction had failed, four more were brought in from New Brunswick in the early 1900's. From these six moose there are now over 100,000 moose on the island of Newfoundland, with Gros Morne National Park now boasting the world's highest density of moose, dwarfing the population of the native caribou. They have become almost a nuisance in some areas and are responsible for numerous fatal car accidents each year.
Posted by Shawn
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