A highway mishap involving a moose and an RCMP vehicle has police reminding motorists to be wary on B.C.’s roads.
Police say the incident happened on Highway 29 near the small community of Hudson’s Hope, in B.C.’s northeast quadrant, on the evening of Jan. 31.
While on routine patrol, Cpl. Rob Gardner says two moose came out of the ditch on that snowy night, with one of them hitting the driver’s side fender and hood.
Behind the wheel at the time, Gardner says the moose partially landed on the windshield, shattering it.
“I was very lucky that more of the moose did not land in the windshield in this incident,” said Gardner, who escaped with minor cuts on his hands from the glass.
Gardner says it took a few minutes to get out of the driver’s side door before ensuring the moose wasn’t blocking traffic along the highway.
The moose, however, wasn’t around, with fresh tracks indicating it had gotten up and walked away.
The damaged cruiser was later towed from the scene.
Hudson’s Hope RCMP say no matter where you’re travelling in B.C. this winter, be it Vancouver Island or in the Rockies, to be prepared for wildlife crossing highways.
“It still gets very dark early in the evening, snow flurries are common and sometimes you can’t see animals in the roadway until the very last minute,” said Gardner.
Further, motorists are advised to be prepared for cold weather, and to have a charged cellphone, jackets, gloves, boots, a blanket and water. While it might be above zero degrees in some areas of B.C., it can be quite cold in others.
For example, Wednesday’s forecast for the Fort St. John area, which is about 90 kilometres east of Hudson’s Hope, is calling for a high of -20 C and an overnight low of -24 C.
“You never know when you will run into vehicle troubles or how long it will take for someone to come to help you,” said Gardner, “or if you come across someone who needs assistance.”
RCMP, farmer come to rescue of moose
In related news, Hudson’s Hope RCMP helped rescue a cow moose from a frozen pond just before Christmas.
Police say the moose tried walking across the pond, but fell on the ice and couldn’t get any footing.
A local farmer used a tractor and a bale of hay to slide her to the pond’s edge, then helped Const. Erich Schmidt in getting her off the pond.
Hudson’s Hope RCMP say Schmidt was also involved in retrieving a cow calf from frozen water plus helping a baby deer and a small bear cub.
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