The moose (Alces alces) has long been an object of research at the Pechora-Ilych Nature Reserve.

In the late 1940s, the management of the reserve encountered the problem of unsustainable growth of the moose population.
By the early 1950s, pastures in the reserve started to be exhausted.
To handle the problem, in 1956 a moose hunting enterprise (лосепромысловое хозяйство) was instituted.
The enterprise was affiliated with the reserve, but located outside of its territory.
It has been economically successful.
Between 1956 and 1968, 1000 moose were taken, providing 200 tons of meat.
At the same time, hunting operations allowed the collection of valuable statistics on the biology of the Pechora moose population.

Besides moose hunting, in 1949 the reserve staff created the facility they referred to as a "moose farm" (лосеферма, loseferma) to study the feasibility of moose domestication.
The first director of this project was Yevgeny Knorre.
After he moved to the Volga-Kama Nature Reserve in 1962, his student M. V. Kozhukhov became the director.

The main objectives of the farm were to learn more about moose biology and to use this knowledge to develop suitable food rations for the moose and techniques for caring for them; to study the feasibility of raising a farm-bred population; and to explore the possibilities of the use of the moose in the national economy.

Over the first 40-plus years of the project, six generations of moose were raised on the farm, with some 30–35 animals at the farm in any given year.
About 15 moose calves were raised at the farm in a good spring.
The total number of the animals raised over the year is said to have exceeded 500.

The farm's adult moose would spend most of the time browsing in the forest; however, a pregnant moose cow would always come back to the farm to give birth.
Then, during the lactation period of three to five months, the moose cow would come to the farm several times a day, at the same hours, to be milked.
The milk production of a moose is small compared to a dairy cow: over the lactation season, a total of 300–500 liters (75–125 gallons) of milk is obtained from a moose.
However, the milk has a high (12–14%) fat content, and is rich in vitamins and micronutrient elements; it is said to have medicinal properties.

A farm-raised moose can live as long as 18 years, although few reached that age because of the depredations of wolves, bears, and poachers on the free-ranging population.

Among the potential productive uses of the moose, the milk production was found the most promising.
However, riding a moose and using it to pull a sleigh were tried at the farm as well.

Over the years, a number of research articles dealing with the physiology, ethology, and ecology of the moose were published by the biologists from the reserve, as well as from the research institutes in Syktyvkar and Moscow (e.g.)
Knorre's and his associates' moose domestication work at Pechora Ilych, as well as somewhat similar Muskox Domestication Project at the University of Alaska's Institute of Northern Agricultural Research, also provided valuable insights in the general theory of animal domestication.

The facility, located in the remote Northern Urals taiga, was never meant to turn a profit, and found itself in a difficult situation after the government funding cutbacks of the early 1990s.
According to a recent trip report, the moose farm operations have been greatly reduced; the remaining buildings are in a poor conditions, and only a few animals remain.
A Moscow teacher visiting in 2003 reported that there were only five left.
However, moose domestication experiments in Russia continue at the more favorably located Kostroma Moose Farm.
The moose (Alces alces) has long been an object of research at the Pechora-Ilych Nature Reserve.
In the late 1940s, the management of the reserve encountered the problem of unsustainable growth of the moose population. By the early 1950s, pastures in the reserve started to be exhausted. To handle the problem, in 1956 a moose hunting enterprise (лосепромысловое хозяйство) was instituted. The enterprise was affiliated with the reserve, but located outside of its territory. It has been economically successful. Between 1956 and 1968, 1000 moose were taken, providing 200 tons of meat. At the same time, hunting operations allowed the collection of valuable statistics on the biology of the Pechora moose population.
Besides moose hunting, in 1949 the reserve staff created the facility they referred to as a "moose farm" (лосеферма, loseferma) to study the feasibility of moose domestication. The first director of this project was Yevgeny Knorre. After he moved to the Volga-Kama Nature Reserve in 1962, his student M. V. Kozhukhov became the director.
The main objectives of the farm were to learn more about moose biology and to use this knowledge to develop suitable food rations for the moose and techniques for caring for them; to study the feasibility of raising a farm-bred population; and to explore the possibilities of the use of the moose in the national economy.
Over the first 40-plus years of the project, six generations of moose were raised on the farm, with some 30–35 animals at the farm in any given year. About 15 moose calves were raised at the farm in a good spring. The total number of the animals raised over the year is said to have exceeded 500.
The farm's adult moose would spend most of the time browsing in the forest; however, a pregnant moose cow would always come back to the farm to give birth. Then, during the lactation period of three to five months, the moose cow would come to the farm several times a day, at the same hours, to be milked. The milk production of a moose is small compared to a dairy cow: over the lactation season, a total of 300–500 liters (75–125 gallons) of milk is obtained from a moose. However, the milk has a high (12–14%) fat content, and is rich in vitamins and micronutrient elements; it is said to have medicinal properties.
A farm-raised moose can live as long as 18 years, although few reached that age because of the depredations of wolves, bears, and poachers on the free-ranging population.
Among the potential productive uses of the moose, the milk production was found the most promising. However, riding a moose and using it to pull a sleigh were tried at the farm as well.
Over the years, a number of research articles dealing with the physiology, ethology, and ecology of the moose were published by the biologists from the reserve, as well as from the research institutes in Syktyvkar and Moscow (e.g.)
Knorre's and his associates' moose domestication work at Pechora Ilych, as well as somewhat similar Muskox Domestication Project at the University of Alaska's Institute of Northern Agricultural Research, also provided valuable insights in the general theory of animal domestication.
The facility, located in the remote Northern Urals taiga, was never meant to turn a profit, and found itself in a difficult situation after the government funding cutbacks of the early 1990s. According to a recent trip report, the moose farm operations have been greatly reduced; the remaining buildings are in a poor conditions, and only a few animals remain. A Moscow teacher visiting in 2003 reported that there were only five left. However, moose domestication experiments in Russia continue at the more favorably located Kostroma Moose Farm.
Pechora-Ilych Nature Reserve