Drivers are being warned to use caution on Saskatchewan’s highways after five separate collisions involving moose were reported to RCMP in a 30-minute window on Friday evening.
The reports were made between 6:20 p.m. and 6:45 p.m. Friday near Prince Albert, in north-central Saskatchewan, the Rose Valley, Hudson Bay and Melfort/Kinistino areas to the east, and the Southey area, north of Regina.
In each case the vehicles involved were damaged, but no injuries to drivers or passengers were reported.
A post on Buckland Fire and Rescue Facebook page showed a vehicle that had been damaged in a collision with a moose just before 7 p.m. on Highway 3. The rural municipality of Buckland is just west of Prince Albert.
RCMP are asking people to use caution when highway driving in the early morning hours or at night, when visibility is at its poorest, especially when driving through treed areas.
Drivers are also asked to watch for movement alongside the highway and for shining eyes, which could be a vehicle’s headlights reflecting in the eyes of animals.
But RCMP also warn that moose are often taller than the headbeams of vehicles, so their eyes are less likely to reflect the light.
Police also advise drivers to slow down and remain alert when driving through areas that are known to be inhabited by wildlife.