Parks Canada is warning drivers not to stop while on highways to let moose lick their cars this winter.
The peculiar message comes as moose have been trekking onto highways to lick salt off of roads and passing vehicles, says Tracy McKay with Parks Canada.
“It does sound very funny … It’s okay to laugh at it, as long as people drive responsibly and do what’s best for the wildlife,” she said.
McKay says Parks Canada puts out a warning every winter as moose venture down to highways to fuel their salt intake.
“Unfortunately, this kind of puts [moose] at risk of being injured or killed if they get hit by a vehicle,” she said.
“Parks Canada understands that seeing those wildlife is a real highlight for a lot of people, but we ask people not to stop … so that the moose can’t get used to licking salt off of the cars.”
This might be a crazy idea, but has the Canadian government tried putting out troughs filled with salt, so the moose stop going to the roads as much? There’s got to be all kinds of crap in the road salt (particles of rubber and metal at least, settled exhaust particulates, etc) that’s bad for the animals, and probably much more concentrated than usual because they’re licking the asphalt too.
It’d probably come with its own set of problems, of course, but I’m not sure they’re be worse than the existing ones.
Baiting animals for hunting is illegal. Sending the wrong message and would need to be super careful where you put them so they aren’t in hunting zones.
Well, it would not be to bait them for hunting, so I’m not sure how baiting laws would be relevant here? If someone were to suggest that’s the intention, then I suppose it’s only reasonable to say that salting the roads is also bait and thus illegal 🤷
That was one of the potential problems I thought of, though. Not being a forestry expert I’m not sure of a solution (other than being really careful where you put them like you said!), but it does seem that salty roads cause the same problem in that moose will group up there to eat salt. Only now they’re being killed by vehicles, too (not to mention making the roads icier, and the economic damage of crashes).
I should also disclaim that I don’t live in Canada and I’ve never seen a moose in real life (I hear they’re quite large, they sound scary tbh). This is just an armchair thought that seemed like it might work to solve the problem of moose licking roads in the winter.
It’s not, but peoples would use them, it’s not inherently illegal to shoot a deer at a farmers cow lick, but it’s obviously against the spirit of hunting. These would also attract more than just moose as well, so predators would change habits and could use them for easy kills too.
Is it just illegal in Canada? Every hunter I know, American and Canadian, baits deer
It is illegal, but it is done.
I do know some who play on the edge of the rules tho, like planting clover in small patches (which deer love munching on).
In Ontario if you get caught using salt licks there are heavy fines and charges. But in many of the more remote wildlife management areas you can purchase multiple deer tags (for population control, and the fact that moose and deer don’t get along > deer push moose out of traditional areas).
I’ve lived in remote Ontario areas and I can’t tell you how often I’ve come around a blind rock-cut corner only to find 4 moose 50’ ahead, kneeling in the road licking salt.
I wish we could either switch to straight sand or find an environmentally sound option vs salt.
A moose once licked my sister.
They usually lick cars in parking lots.
Well, that’s a brand new sentence.
