I'm sure in my lifetime several people have died in that general vicinity as the result of hitting moose. I remember hearing about one man who lived to tell about it. People said it was because he was a big rugged man and that he bent the steering wheel.
Moose die almost every single time when hit by a car, or sadly (but mercifully) they are put down by authorities. There is just no way they can recover when their legs are broken and they are in shock. I've been told sometimes the meat from them is donated to an organization like a nursing home. I know sometimes they are hauled off the road and left for scavengers.
People too, frequently die from the injuries received in car moose accidents. The odds are against you when you hit a moose! It's hard to avoid injuries when a 500 to a 1,000 pound animal suddenly smashes through the windshield, legs and hooves flailing wildly, often tearing the roof off as well. It's a truly terrible thing for anyone to experience and even worse way to die.
These are two really good reasons to slow down, when driving at night especially, and to remember to always brake for moose! It's sad that then and even now people who drive through these hot spot type areas don't heed the warnings to slow down. "Don't out drive your headlights" are WORDS TO LIVE BY!
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I appologize profoundly if this piece is upsetting to you. Maybe it's happened to you, maybe you've lost a family member or friend this way. Please don't think because I'm writing about moose and have an obvious fascination with them that I am insensitive to the horrendous results of these accidents suffered by the human counterparts .
I value human life over moose every time! But we are the ones in cars and on motorcycles sometimes going faster than we should be for the conditions, day or night, but especially at night when moose are harder to spot. It isn't as if there's no solution to an impossible situation. There is one. We KNOW what's what and we need to think of our own safety and well being even if we don't like moose and wouldn't care if they were all dead! We just need to take responsibility for our own safety and the moose will benefit in return. Even so, obviously, accidents do and will happen. But at least logic tells us there will be fewer accidents, possibly some accidents might not be so severe. We need to try.
Moose are just out there being moose. They aren't out to get us... they are just doing what moose do. Some may learn by trial and error not to go near the road, life experiencs so to speak. They may have been witness to what happens when they are careless. So they hesitate, they try to steel themselves like a swimmer about to dive into icy water, and they hurry. I've seen them do this. They may be hesitant and start cautiously across a highway, get nervous and stop, trying to decide what to do. I've seen them do this. They may learn to look before they cross the street. I've watched many moose do this and believe me, some of them really act as if they know exactly what they are risking when they go to cross a road, especially cows with a calf. I think many cows have lost a calf this way, so they learn, or they certainly appear to be trying. One day a couple years ago I photographed a cow and her newborn calf and when I returned early the next morning hoping to get a few more pictures, that baby moose lay dead beside the road.
We really do need to try if not for the moose, for ourselves.
I value human life over moose every time! But we are the ones in cars and on motorcycles sometimes going faster than we should be for the conditions, day or night, but especially at night when moose are harder to spot. It isn't as if there's no solution to an impossible situation. There is one. We KNOW what's what and we need to think of our own safety and well being even if we don't like moose and wouldn't care if they were all dead! We just need to take responsibility for our own safety and the moose will benefit in return. Even so, obviously, accidents do and will happen. But at least logic tells us there will be fewer accidents, possibly some accidents might not be so severe. We need to try.
Moose are just out there being moose. They aren't out to get us... they are just doing what moose do. Some may learn by trial and error not to go near the road, life experiencs so to speak. They may have been witness to what happens when they are careless. So they hesitate, they try to steel themselves like a swimmer about to dive into icy water, and they hurry. I've seen them do this. They may be hesitant and start cautiously across a highway, get nervous and stop, trying to decide what to do. I've seen them do this. They may learn to look before they cross the street. I've watched many moose do this and believe me, some of them really act as if they know exactly what they are risking when they go to cross a road, especially cows with a calf. I think many cows have lost a calf this way, so they learn, or they certainly appear to be trying. One day a couple years ago I photographed a cow and her newborn calf and when I returned early the next morning hoping to get a few more pictures, that baby moose lay dead beside the road.
We really do need to try if not for the moose, for ourselves.
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