With several horrific moose-related road crashes recently, experts are warning motorists that moose are still out on Maine roadways later than usual. And they pick times when they're difficult to see. But despite the rash of serious accidents, there appears to be some good news.
"Well, over the last 10-plus years, we have seen a decline in the number of moose collisions each year," says Duane Brunell.
Brunell is the manager of the Safety Office with the Maine Department of Transportation. The long-term figures may show a gradual decline in moose collisions, says Brunell, but right now there seems to be an unusual number of moose on the road for mid-July.
"Normally we see a high frequency during May and June for moose collisions," he says. "I think the season is probably off to a little bit of a late start, so it looks like we are probably at peak right now."
A 60-year-old Brewer man was killed earlier this week on I-95 near Howland when his minivan struck a moose on the highway. A state trooper was injured the same day in a moose collision on Route 1- while responding to reports of another vehicle accident involving a moose.
Such collisions are almost always fatal for the moose, and the human occupants often don't escape injury either. Anne Lichtenwalner, director of the animal health lab at the University of Maine says, right now, moose are likely trying to make up for a tough winter that was plagued by poor quality browse and winter ticks.
"So they need to use this time to get some good forage in and put the pounds on," she says.
Moose are likely seeking tender, young plants and salt licks, says Lichtenwalner. And she says research shows the animals to be somewhat crepuscular in nature - meaning they're more active in the twilight hours - just when it's getting hard for humans to see.
While studying moose habits may give wildlife biologists a better idea of what the moose are up to, unfortunately, says Lichtenwalner, there's no silver bullet to stop moose-car crashes. Wildlife overpasses have only met with limited success in moose-dense places like Alaska, she says.
According to MDOT data, the state now experiences fewer than 400 moose collisions per year - still more than one per day. But, says Duane Brunell with MDOT, that number has fallen from a high of more than 800 collisions per year, two decades ago.
He suggests that part of the reason for the trend may be the result of an aggressive thinning plan. Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has made more hunting permits available in areas with a high number of moose collisions, particularly in parts of Aroostook County.
And MDOT has done its part with higher visibility signage in those areas, including special roadside reflectors meant to help motorists see if something large is trying to cross the road. The department is also considering a plan to put motion-activated LED lights in certain areas to help motorists see what's on the sides of the roads.
But UMaine's Lichtenwalner cautions that Maine motorists have to be prepared for the fact that some moose will still enter the roadway.
"The best thing is just realizing you live in a place where these animals are going to be close to the road, and being extremely careful as a driver," she says. "You know, we do co-exist with these animals and I think we just have to be very watchful."
