Holocene distribution and extinction of the moose (Alces alces, Cervidae) in Central Europe

Moose (Alces alces L.) were among the first Large mammals to recotonize Central Europe after the Last glaciation. Already during the Allerod they established themselves in most parts of the area. In the early Holocene their distribution range extended from the Pyrenees to Denmark and from Austria to Great Britain and also covered eastern Central Europe where they still occur today. In the Preboreal, the moose slowly vanished from the southwestern parts of its distribution range, Leading to its extinction in France and, later, in England. During the Atlantic period, the moose died out in Large parts of Denmark and population densities apparently decreased in the rest of Central Europe as well. Around the birth of Christ only relict populations were left in western Central Europe, which finally became extinct in early medieval times. In Thuringia and in the region northeast of the river Elbe as well as in central Poland, some stocks persisted until the high and Late Middle Ages. The causes of the gradual extinction in Central Europe during the Holocene are complex. Changes in vegetation, climate and sea-level, the increasing fragmentation of habitat through human activities and hunting were, at different times, important factors. In the recent past, however, moose have repeatedly migrated from the east towards the west. The development of its distribution range since the end of the Second World War as well as experiences with Scandinavian populations show that moose are able to thrive in close proximity to humans and that a future expansion of its distribution range towards the west seems possible. (c) 2005 Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Saugetierkunde. Published by Elsevier GmbH. ALL rights reserved.