OFF: MAN VS MOOSE!

[christmu at EUNET.NO]

This is from a recent local paper, I cracked up when I read it and just had
to translate this, as I know moose auto-murder has been a heavy subject on
this list in the past.  I also put up the story, the dead road-moose pic,
and an account of a drunken Swedish moose on my website. All this in one
hour. Choose your moose.

Christian

(  picture at: http://home.eunet.no/~christmu/moose.html  )

"Don't understand: The Moose will probably use thousands of years to
understand that the automobile is a natural enemy. In 1996, 1142 moose were
killed or put to death as a result of traffic accidents. The
moose-accidents also take human lives and yearly hurts 100 drivers. The
family that ran into this moose in Hedmark earlier this summer, came out of
the ordeal mostly unscathed."


DON'T GET IT

"Every year, over 1 000 moose die on the road. 100 drivers are hurt, and
and three are killed. The King of The Forest doesen't have the brains to
stay away."

THE MOOSE IS NOT AFRAID OF CARS

(by Gunnar Hagen)

It can take several thousand years before the moose's instinct registers
that the automobile is a threat, says moose-professor Olav Hjeljord. The
moose is not particularly smart. The sight of speeding cars don't scare it.
On the other hand, if a jogger comes jogging along the road, the moose will
run away. Inherited insticts tell the moose that the human is a predator
classed with a wolf or a bear. Cars on the other hand, do not scare it,
says Hjeljord. He is a scientist at Norges landbrukshøgskole [Norway's
agricultural college] and has recently taken a doctorate on moose and moose
grazing grounds.

HUMANS KILL MORE

About 10 000  years ago, after the last Ice Age, the moose arrived in
Norway.  Ever since, humans have hunted it. And still we clearly remain its
greatest enemy. During moose-hunt season, we shoot 30-40 000 animals, while
the cars "only" kill about 1 000, the trains about 500. Instinct tells the
moose that it has more to fear from humans than automobiles, the
moose-professor says.  Today's moose-stock is at about 1 00 000 animals.

-How long time will the animal use to establish fear of the road?

Hundreds of years, maybe thousands. The time perspective is not so
interesting - within our future it will remain this way. The automobile has
been here for 70 years and the moose has not learned.

"NEVER SAW THE MOOSE"

-What is the usual reason for moose-collision?

Often the moose runs parallell to the road for a stretch. It will see the
car, but is unable to gauge the speed and will try to cross in front of it.
A usual reaction is then: "I never saw the moose". Hjeljord informs that
moose-road-accidents happen year around, but with two peak seasons. In
May/June, when the young calfs are driven away by their parents - and
during winter, when moose congregate in the low lands to graze around
trafficked roads. The heaviest versions of The King of The Forest can weigh
over half a ton. On its long thin legs, the moose is a potential traffic bomb.

FAILED EFFORTS

Vegdirektoratet [the road dept.] have attempted several ideas, most of them
failing: Large sums were spent on German poles [no pun intended!] with
reflectives that looked like eyes of predators. These were to be lit up by
the approaching cars' headlights. A waste of money, says Hjeljord.
High-frequency sounds on test cars have not been effective. Odor-bags of
urine from wolf and bear have not been effective either. Clear roads and
better lighting however have helped to an extent.

-Now fences are being put up on all new highways. It will help, but will
have a significant negative consequence that  moose stocks are stopped and
grazing grounds isolated, says Olav Hjeljord.