A harsh winter has caused damage to long stretches of wildlife fencing along New Brunswick roadways, renewing concern over what has been a deadly problem in the past.
Many sections of the wildlife fence have fallen down. Some parts are just leaning, in other places the fence is lying flat on the ground and has been for weeks.
Nancy Dobson has been a long time fencing advocate. Her daughter Amanda was killed on Highway 7 in a moose vehicle collision in 2002.
She says a fence that is saving lives should not be allowed to fall into disrepair.
“Somebody shouldn't have to die till they realize you have to maintain what you've started,” says Dobson.
Between 2002 and 2006, the four years before the moose fence, there were almost 100 moose vehicle collisions along Highway 7.
More than $7 million was spent erecting wildlife fence along Highway 7, as part of a fencing blitz over a three year period that saw the installation of more than 300 kilometers province-wide.
Highway 7, between Fredericton and Saint John, has an infamous history when it comes to moose vehicle collisions. However, since the wildlife fencing was installed, there have been far fewer emergency calls to that stretch of highway.
A spokesman for the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure says it is aware of the damage and repairs will be done as soon as possible to avoid collisions. In the meantime, police are advising motorists to be watchful, as the majority of moose vehicle collisions occur over the summer months.
“In particular at night, we're asking people to be more vigilant,” says Const. Jullie Rogers-Marsh, of the New Brunswick RCMP. “Obviously at night it's harder to see and in areas where there is a large population of wildlife, the fencing certainly does help.”
The Department of Transportation says it is assessing the damage, and has to determine if its own staff can do the repairs, or if it will have to hire a fencing company to do the work.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Mike Cameron
