Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation launches ‘Giving wildlife a brake’ campaign

The Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation (SWF) has launched the second half of its 23rd annual public safety campaign aimed at preventing vehicle collisions with wildlife, primarily moose and deer.

Titled “Give Wildlife a Brake,” the campaign consists of various mass media reminders to motorists to be more alert while driving on Saskatchewan roadways. Brightly coloured highway billboards, posters in various government offices plus social media advertising make up the bulk of the campaign.

In 2018, vehicular collisions with wildlife (12,401 with deer and 525 with moose) contributed to three human fatalities and 387 injuries and caused an estimated $83 million in insurance claims.

September through November are the months when the vast majority of vehicle/wildlife collisions take place. This is because the rut, or breeding season, takes place for moose in mid to late September and for deer in mid to late November. During the rut, both sexes of both species are much more mobile, especially the males who are actively seeking out females in new territories.

Wildlife has no understanding of the dangers of crossing the highway so only drivers can prevent a collision with a large moose or deer.

Constant vigilance and reducing vehicle speeds at night can significantly help to avoid a collision. The SGI website (http:// www.sgi.sk.ca/wildlife-collisions) contains information on how to avoid collisions with wild animals.

This annual campaign which also receives financial support from SGI, has been in existence for 23 years with different messages relating to collision avoidance. Previous slogans include “Slow Down and Save a Buck” and “Go Slow and Save a Little Doe” and “Moose on the Loose”.

“Public feedback from the campaign has been very positive,” says Darrell Crabbe, Executive Director for the SWF. “We get encouraging comments from people all over the province. In fact, we’ve even had agencies from other jurisdictions contact us for information on how we put our campaign together”