BOYLE – It can happen to any of us, out of nowhere, any time we’re behind the wheel — the animals have places to go.
A collision between a bull moose and a Boyle RCMP vehicle, that completely demolished both just before New Year’s, is a timely reminder to motorists to always be mindful when driving area highways and country roads, that we do share the space with many large, wild animals, who go about their lives with little concern for people, often until it’s too late, said Boyle RCMP Sgt. Dennis Properzi.
“On December 29, 2022, at 9 p.m., one of the Boyle RCMP officers collided with a bull moose in the area of Buffalo Lake in a police Ford F-150 patrol vehicle. There was no injury to the officer however the police vehicle sustained significant damage,” he said in an e-mail. “The officer was travelling below the speed limit at the time of the collision but was not able to detect the large bull as it was in a full run to cross the roadway.”
While animal strikes on the highway are a normal part of life and work in the north, moose and deer strikes are exceptionally dangerous as the combination of the speed of the vehicle and mass of the animal are far more likely to cause fatal injuries to occupants of the vehicle.
“Boyle RCMP are reaching out to the public to be extra cautious during their travels and ensure they travel at safe speeds to assist in detecting the wildlife on the roadways in the area,” said Properzi. “There has been a large number of collisions involving deer and moose in the Boyle RCMP jurisdiction reported over the last month, fortunately without injuries to the drivers involved.”
In the first week of January, Properzi noted there have already been three deer and three moose strikes reported to RCMP, mostly on Highway 63 and Highway 855. In December, he noted 12 deer collisions and six moose collisions on area highways (63, 663, 55, 831), as well as the one involving the officer, which occurred on a rural road.
