Fall is mating and migration season for a number of animals, and motorists are being reminded that moose, elk, and deer are less wary around traffic this time of year.
“Our hope is that everyone takes a little bit of extra time and slows down, especially in those high animal density areas, and make sure that everyone gets home safe and sound,” said Darrell Crabbe, executive director of the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation.
He added that signs are typically visible in high-movement areas and recommends that motorists pay special attention to valleys and treed locations.
The times of day most prone to accidents involving wildlife are at dawn and dusk. “At that time, they’re going to be moving from their feeding areas back to their bedding areas,” explained Crabbe.
Crabbe said collision statistics have, unfortunately, stayed stable in Saskatchewan over time. “Over the past five years, we’ve had on average 376 injuries a year and one fatality per year.”
Last year there were 426 injuries and three fatalities resulting from a total of 8,955 wildlife-related collisions in the province.
If a motorist hits an animal, Crabbe said not to approach it if it’s still alive. He said they should contact the RCMP or police to give them the location of the vehicle and incident, and they should determine if their vehicle is still roadworthy before continuing to drive.