About 40 years ago, moose took to the skies to avoid extinction. Or rather, they were taken to the skies. By the 1980s, centuries of hunting, logging, and disease had virtually wiped-out Michigan’s moose population everywhere but Isle Royale.
This left the DNR with a choice: let the mainland moose die out and watch the ecosystem suffer the consequences, or strap five dozen Canadian moose to helicopters and relocate them to the Upper Peninsula. Needless to say, they went with the latter.
From 1985–1987, 59 moose were individually tracked down in the Canadian wilderness, tranquilized, blindfolded, airlifted by helicopter, loaded onto a truck, and driven 16 hours to Marquette, MI. Upon arrival, each moose was greeted by thousands of onlookers eager to welcome it to its new home. It is thanks to these eccentric “moose lifts” that you can still find moose in the Upper Peninsula today.
For more on the history of Michigan’s moose, wolves, and Isle Royale, tune into episode 21 of the Michigistory podcast. Available wherever you get your podcasts.
