Moose Toxicology

Ahtna Intertribal Resource Commission works to conserve, manage, and develop fish, wildlife, and plant resources in the Ahtna Territory according to culturally relevant values. AITRC incorporates scientific best practices with traditional ecological knowledge to fill data gaps to better inform management and answer questions or concerns brought to us.

AITRC's Board and other tribal citizens brought concerns over changes in the subsistence foods they consume. After hearing these concerns, AITRC formed the Moose Health Monitoring Program.

Moose have a cultural and economic importance, as well as, a practical importance to subsistence harvesters. Living off the land means cleaner, fresher, and more nutritious food. Monitoring the health of harvested moose will allow us to identify areas of concern, whether that be moose reproduction, moose health, or human health.

Sample Collection.

AITRC is asking harvesters to collect samples from moose. The size of the samples are:

Liver (2 in x 2 in)
Kidney (a 1/2 in slice from center)
Muscle Tissue (2 in x 2 in)
Jaw bone or 2 incisor (front bottom) teeth
A large chunk of hair
A blood sample collected with paper provided

Please keep samples frozen until they can be delivered to AITRC or an AITRC employee can pick them up.

How to participate?

Pick up a free sampling kit at AITRC (Mile 187 Glenn Hwy), Ahtna Inc., ADFG Glennallen, Wrangell–St. Elias, or BLM Glennallen Field Office. Drop your completed kits off at AITRC or call us for pickup.

Drop off a completed sampling kit → Receive a $50 gift card
Call us to come sample your moose → Be entered into a raffle for a $100 gift card

Whats the best way to remove the teeth?

What do you do with the samples?

AITRC will analyze the samples for essential and non-essential elements and various diseases. This information will let us examine the health of the moose and the implications of consumption. There is no known risk of consumption at this time.

Tsin'aen!

This project will not be possible without generous sample donations from harvesters. We thank you for taking the time to fill out the data sheet and collect samples so we can continue to do research that is important to the Ahtna people and the surrounding community.

As a sign of our thanks, those who submit a filled-out data sheet and all samples to AITRC If you turn in a completed sample kit to AITRC you will get a $50 gift card. If AITRC employees sample your moose you will be entered in a raffle to win a $100 gift card.

Emily Benson, 2024 Natural Resource Technician, and Tamra Jones, UAF Master's Student, collect a sample from a hunter harvested moose

Ecologist, Kelsey Stanbro, and Master's Student, Tamra Jones, traveled to Texas A&M to process 2022 and 2023 samples

Sean Cotteleer, 2023 Fish and Wildlife Technician, removes teeth from a moose. Teeth help us age the moose.

Did you know?

A moose’s age can be determined by counting tiny annual layers in its teeth—much like counting rings in a tree! Dendrochronology is the science of counting growth rings to estimate age—most commonly in trees. For moose, we use the same idea, but instead of tree rings, we look at annual layers in a moose’s teeth to determine age.

Why teeth can tell us a moose’s age?

As a moose grows, its teeth record time in a reliable way. A thin layer of tooth material (called cementum) builds up over the years in distinct annual bands—similar to rings in a tree. By counting these bands under a microscope, biologists can estimate the animal’s age.