Published on: 2026-08-30
Source: Moscow Government – Правительства Москвы –
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Experts analyzed GPS collar data from moose living in the Moscow part of the Losiny Ostrov National Park. Devices attached to four males and four females recorded about 7,500 animal geolocation points during the summer of 2026. This data helped to precisely reconstruct their routes in the urban environment and adjacent forest park areas, as well as to track the seasonal dynamics of their movements.
“Seven and a half thousand locations recorded by GPS collars confirmed: the abundance of forage in summer allows moose to use slightly more compact habitats than in spring, and the dense green forest cover helps them remain hidden and avoid disturbance from park visitors. Much more interesting are the exceptions: an extremely small habitat for one adult male and a summer calving by a female, indicating the species’ wide adaptability to urban conditions,” noted
Natalya Chukhraeva, Deputy Head of the Department of Natural Resources Management and Environmental Protection of Moscow.
The analysis results of data obtained from GPS devices showed that seasonal differences in moose behavior are insignificant. The lengths of daily movements of these animals in summer were comparable to those in spring and winter, and the sizes of individual habitats and their cores in summer do not differ from those in winter and spring. Furthermore, males and females do not differ in daily movement length and territory area.
At the same time, during observations, scientists noted an atypical behavior pattern of one adult male: he remained within a territory of about one square kilometer for approximately 84 percent of the time. In comparison, the other males used significantly larger areas during the summer period.
The study also provided additional data on the reproductive cycle of moose. Traditionally, the birth of offspring in this species occurs in spring, but in early June one of the females gave birth to a calf, indicating that moose have flexible adaptive mechanisms and that the species is plastic.
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