One moose at a time: Item: Moose are trying to kill Canadian tourists visiting New Hampshire.
On Thursday night, a couple from Ontario, Canada, had to brake and swerve to miss hitting a moose with their motorcycle on the Kancamagus Highway. The wife was treated for shoulder and rib injuries.
Nine hours later, a car carrying two Canadians hit a moose in Bartlett. They weren't hurt, but the moose was killed.
Authorities said moose are very active at this time of year but can be very difficult to see because some roads don't have much of a shoulder.
Does that last sentence seem like a bit of a non sequitur? After all the Norwegians have proven moose warning signs don't work.
"All these moose signs," sighs Bjørn Iuell of the national highway department called Statens vegvesen. "They don't work at all."
Iuell should know. He spends most of his time tracking the risks for collisions between motorists and wildlife, and how to reduce them.
Iuell told Aftenposten's weekend magazine A-Magasinet that research shows that motorists neither reduce their speed nor change their driving pattern when they see the moose signs. They're so accustomed to seeing them, that they've apparently become desensitized to them.
Heck, the answer is even easier than that. Moose can't read. Besides, they're using the wrong sign.
Item: Moose are moving into Moncton, New Brunswick, up in Canada.
NEW BRUNSWICK (CBC) – Department of Natural Resources officials in Moncton are on the alert for a moose that was seen on one of the city's main commercial thoroughfares early Monday morning.
An RCMP patrol car spotted the animal loping along Mountain Road, near the VooDoo nightclub, around 4 a.m. AT, before it disappeared in the heavily wooded Centennial Park area.
Officials said they won't go looking for the moose, but they will be on the scene quickly if it emerges in one of the nearby residential neighbourhoods.
If people see the moose, they should keep their distance, said Brent Roy of the DNR.
"Well, these are large wild animals, so we always caution the public to keep that in mind, and keep a safe distance away," Roy said Monday. "Moose have been known to charge people. They could hurt you, so you'd have to keep that in mind for sure."
So, putting the first and last items together in proper context, Moose on the American side of the border are trying to kill Canadians to clear places for the Canadian side moose to move into! Places near nightclubs, too. This is bad for Canada. Drunken moose are no laughing matter. Sometimes we stun our selves with our incredible powers of logic. A good stiff drink usually leads to a complete recovery, however, so don't worry about us!
