Slight Detour – February 2021
Animal crossings
In what is perhaps the most “Oh, Canada” warning ever, officials in Jasper, Alberta, were forced to put up signs asking motorists not to let moose lick their cars. According to CNN, moose are obsessed with salt. And in a snowy area like Jasper, cars tend to be covered in the stuff since it’s used to treat the roads.
Officials at Jasper National Park say that folks will stop on the side of the road in hopes of seeing a moose, but letting them lick the salt off the cars can be dangerous because it can get the moose too used to being around cars and increase the risk of a crash.
Why did the animals cross the road?
The first wildlife bridge in Utah is turning out to be a “wild” success.
USA Today reports that the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources shared video showing various animals – including deer, bears and bobcats – using the bridge to cross over Interstate 80 southeast of Salt Lake City.
Known as the Parleys Canyon Wildlife Overpass, the $5 million project is a 320-foot-long bridge that opened in December 2018. Prior to that, 46 deer, 14 moose and four elk were killed on that stretch of highway in 2016 and 2017. Not to be outdone, California plans to open what it says is the world’s largest wildlife overpass next year over the 101 Freeway near the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation area. That bridge will be 210 feet long and 165 feet wide and will span 10 lanes of pavement.
In the long run, it might just be a better investment than a moose bumper.
A bear, a fox, and a dog all walk into a border crossing …
In related Canada news, a trio of animals were caught attempting to cross the 48th Parallel, with varying degrees of success. While travel restrictions between the U.S. and Canada remain in place, a wayward bear, a sly fox and a family’s German shepherd all attempted to hop across the border.
The female black bear showed up at the Hyder-Stewart border crossing in northern British Columbia but was denied access due to a lack of travel documents, according to the Canada Border Services Agency. The bear was relocated to the Smithers’ Northern Wildlife Society for the winter.
Just days after the bear’s attempted crossing, a fox made a cunning attempt of its own at the Pigeon River crossing in Northern Ontario. The Canada Border Services Agency tweeted a picture of the fox and said that it was seeking entry for essential reasons and that, “even wildlife knows to make a full declaration when entering.”
A few weeks later a dog from New Brunswick ended up crossing over into Maine via the International Bridge in Fort Kent. UPI reports that owner Paryse Michaud said her father was caring for Diamond, her German shepherd, while she and her family attended a hockey tournament when the dog managed to escape through the garage door. Michaud put out a call for help on Facebook, and a family friend in Fort Kent found the dog. But then they were faced with the problem of COVID-19 travel restrictions and how to get Diamond home. Eventually, they were able to coordinate a hand-off at the border with the help of more family friends.
Someone get the writers for Disney on a Zoom call. Think we’ve got an idea for the next sequel to the 1993 film “Homeward Bound.” LL
Wild about animals? Check out this story.