Sept. 9, 2011 – With the coming of the moose rut, the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation (SWF) is expecting the number of vehicular collisions with these large animals to increase. During the latter stages of September and throughout October moose are on the move, seeking mates. Often, bulls will travel great distances in their single-minded search for cows.
“Moose are not very road-wise,” says Darrell Crabbe, Executive Director for the SWF. “In fact, they often have little or no regard for their own safety when it comes to crossing highways. Some bulls have even been known to become aggressive enough to attack vehicles that approach too closely.
“We want to make people very aware of the danger of hitting a moose with their vehicle. They are large, heavy animals and hitting one could cause extensive damage to your vehicle and possibly cause severe injury or death,” Crabbe said.
The SWF, with financial assistance from SGI, launched a new public safety campaign in June focusing on vehicular collision avoidance with moose. Titled “Moose On The Loose,” the campaign includes highway billboards, radio and television PSAs, posters in SGI branch offices, roadside signs distributed to wildlife federation branches for local dispersal to problem areas, and informational restaurant placemats distributed to all wildlife federation branches to be used at fundraising dinners and special events across the province.
The campaign is designed to remind motorists that during the autumn months, both deer and moose are much more mobile and therefore they need to be more vigilant when driving, especially at dusk, at night and at dawn. SGI collision statistics show that the greatest proportion of vehicular collisions with wildlife take place during the fall months.
About SGI
Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) is the province�s self-sustaining auto insurance fund. SGI operates 21 claims centres and five salvage centres across Saskatchewan with a head office in Regina. SGI also works with a network of over 400 motor licence issuers across the province. http://www.sgi.sk.ca/.
