So, Finland. Reindeer in the dark are a hazard on the roads. What to do? Works that Work reports on the proposed solution:
The Finnish Reindeer Herder’s Association has come up with a clever plan to reduce the death toll by applying a reflective spray to the animals’ antlers, thus making the reindeer easily visible to drivers in the long, dark, winter nights. If the test, to be run this February on 20 reindeer, is successful, the method will be applied to the rest of the Finnish reindeer population, a staggering 200,000 animals. [see full article and photo]
That is what we need on the moose on our northern highways! I remember car trips in my childhood to and from the summer cottage in Manitoba where my father had to be very alert for the huge antlered beasts stepping out on the road at a critical moment, especially at dusk or at night. There were a few close calls.
Here we have a similar problem with deer on the roads. (But OMG, moose would be worse: they’re bigger!) It’ll be interesting to hear how the reflective-antler strategy works. If it’s a success, I think we could see many several kinds of animals decorated in this manner.