By Geoff Smith

Vacation season brings reminder to watch for wildlife

Jun 20, 2016 | 5:00 PM

Summer driving season has brought with it another safety reminder: this time, about wildlife. According to the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation there’s less animals but more drivers on the road.

Executive director Darrell Crabb said it’s especially important for drivers to be aware of animals in Saskatchewan’s northwest.

While not the busiest time of year for animals like deer and moose to be on the road, it is busier for motorists, which is why the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation is emphasizing its safety campaign. Executive director Darrell Crabbe says it’s especially important in the northwest.

“(T)here’s always been a pretty healthy population of moose, and certainly there’s elk in that area and lots of deer,” Crabbe said. “So your area certainly has been a hotbed, or certainly one of the higher incident areas, in Saskatchewan and has been for many years.”

In the first five months of 2016, drivers filed 200 claims, worth nearly $2 million in damage, from collisions with moose.

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“It’s interesting you look back just in the last 10 years, the number of vehicles on the road in Saskatchewan has gone up by about 35 per cent,” Crabbe said. “And speed limits have gone up in the last decade. We have a good healthy wildlife population. So these unfortunate situations come to a perfect storm.”

He also said distractions from electronic devices may be a new factor.

The number of animals on the road can increase during a severe winter, as deer may find a highway the only way to get around.

Crabbe said the onus is on the drivers to identify areas for possible deer, moose or elk collisions and to drive safer during dawn and dusk.

“Around where the moose signs and deer signs are, I think people have gotten accustomed to them and don’t slow down or don’t take any additional precautions when they’re going through those areas.

“How many accidents have been avoided because people did heed the message and slow down or take a little more time?”

gsmith@jpbg.ca
Twitter: @smithco