‘Try not to let moose lick your car,’ warns Parks Canada, as more moose flock to highways

Parks Canada is warning drivers to not cease whereas on highways to let moose lick their vehicles this winter. 

The peculiar message comes as moose have been trekking onto highways to lick salt off of roads and passing automobiles, says Tracy McKay with Parks Canada. 

“It does sound very humorous … It is okay to chuckle at it, so long as folks drive responsibly and do what’s greatest for the wildlife,” she stated. 

McKay says Parks Canada places out a warning each winter as moose enterprise all the way down to highways to gasoline their salt consumption. 

“Sadly, this type of places [moose] susceptible to being injured or killed in the event that they get hit by a car,” she stated. 

“Parks Canada understands that seeing these wildlife is an actual spotlight for lots of people, however we ask folks to not cease … in order that the moose cannot get used to licking salt off of the vehicles.”

WATCH | What to do when driving by a moose this winter: 

Letting moose lick your automotive might put them at risk

Parks Canada is warning drivers to not cease in the event that they see a moose however as a substitute drive across the salt-seeking animals, who’re recognized to lick automobiles which might be dirty with highway salt. The federal company says stopping will increase the danger of moose being killed or injured by automobiles.

Roy Rea, an assistant professor on the College of Northern British Columbia, has been learning moose for 25 years, notably why they arrive near transportation corridors.

“It simply seems that a kind of causes [moose] are there’s due to the highway salt that’s utilized within the winter to de-ice roads,” he stated. 

Rea says the massive creatures seek for salt within the winter as a result of they want plenty of sodium to take care of their bodily capabilities.

“In the summertime there’s a number of greenery round and people crops have much more minerals in it … and within the winter they usually do not have entry to that.

“They should go the place they’ll to search out the salt and … some of the handy locations for them is that if they cross the highway and provides it a lick,” he stated, including vehicles have turn into an attractive deal with because of salt residue from winter driving. 

Rea says whereas he is by no means personally skilled it, a lot of his pals in northern B.C. have seen it occur. 

With December and January being the darkest and sometimes coldest months, Rea is warning drivers to be additional cautious whereas driving on highways.

“You have bought this large, darkish brown, black moose standing on a black asphalt highway with a black background … and you do not see it ’til it is too late,” he stated.

“It simply so occurs the height moose-vehicle collisions that we have now in B.C. are in December and January when it is darkest and after we’re doing most of our driving in low-light circumstances.”

Parks Canada first began warning folks after it obtained calls from drivers going by means of Alberta’s Jasper Nationwide Park, who have been seeing moose come as much as lick their vehicles, says McKay.

He provides practically 4 moose are killed yearly by automobiles in that space. 

McKay says regardless of the company utilizing sand for the park’s roads, moose are nonetheless drawn to it for the hint quantities of salt discovered within the sand.

“There’s been a number of tasks in varied locations which have tried salt options, however they are typically costlier or they do not work as effectively or each,” she stated, including the warning is a solution to protect Canada’s moose inhabitants. 

“If it is protected to maintain going with out working into the moose, then we might advocate folks simply attempt to slowly, rigorously drive away. Simply attempt to not let moose lick your automotive.”