As locals and tourists plan their summer road trips to explore beautiful British Columbia, wildlife conservationists and traffic experts remind motorists to drive cautiously, obey speed limits and beware of animals. The reminder comes after a rare white grizzly and her two cubs were killed in separate vehicle collisions in Yoho National Park earlier this month. Officials warn wildlife encounters on the road can happen anywhere.
2:32 Fine line between helping and harming wildlife “B.C. drivers can expect to see and potentially have a collision with wildlife anywhere, anytime,” said Trace Acres of Road Safety at Work.
Story continues below advertisement For example, a car collided with a deer that was trying to cross busy Highway 97 near the bridge in West Kelowna last weekend. The email you need for the day's top news stories from Canada and around the world. Wildlife collisions, officials say, can be catastrophic for the animals as well as for drivers and their families.
“It can impact you or a loved one,” said Jadzia Porter of Wildlife Collision Prevention, “or even have someone killed in a vehicle collision.” According to ICBC statistics, there are more than 11,000 crashes involving animals every year, with an average of 800 people injured and four killed. The financial cost of this animal collision carnage is large.
The most recent statistic shows ICBC paid out $41 million in animal collision claims in 2013. 4:25 New interior wildlife rehabilitation centre open.
