NB fences off moose from highway

FREDERICTON — In an effort to reduce the number of wildlife-vehicle collisions on New Brunswick highways, the provincial government is erecting a fence along stretches of the Trans-Canada notorious for moose crossings.

The moose fence will go up along hot spots on the Fredericton-to-Saint John highway, Canadian Press reports.

Transportation Minister Denis Landry says construction of the fence will begin in June and is expected to take about two years. He said about 26 km of fencing will be erected in areas known to have heavy moose traffic.
Between 1995 and 2000 there were more than 5,000 collisions in the province involving deer or moose, resulting in 21 fatalities.

According to Statistics Canada, animal-vehicle collisions have increased across the country. In Alberta incidents have almost doubled since 1991.

In many parts of Canada, November is mating season for moose, elk and deer. Naturally, it’s the month with the highest number of accidents involving wildlife, says Stats Can.

— from Canadian Press