Kootenay National Park of Canada

Highway Wildlife Mortalities

The invisible highway toll: road kill

Back in the 1920s, automobiles were few and far between when the Kootenay Parkway (Highway 93 S) was built as a scenic drive between Banff, Alberta and Windermere, British Columbia. Today it's a busy highway that carries over 5,000 vehicles on a typical summer day. Wildlife survival is threatened by the high incidence of road-kills on this and other mountain highways.

Highway mortality
© Parks Canada / Dan Catt / KNP M987

What's the concern?
Collisions between wildlife and vehicles result in the loss of wildlife, vehicle damage, and, occasionally, human injuries or fatalities. Between 1986 and 2005, park staff have recorded 956 wildlife-vehicle collisions involving large animals in Kootenay National Park. Most victims of highway strikes are large ungulates (deer, elk, moose, and bighorn sheep), however wolves, coyotes and black bears are also commonly hit. The impact of highway strikes on small mammal, bird, and amphibian populations is unknown, as these collisions are rarely reported.

Roads and highways typically follow natural landscape features such as lakes, rivers and valley bottoms. However, these areas also provide critical habitat and movement routes for many species of wildlife, which puts them at risk of being hit by vehicles.

Furthermore, roads create barriers that impede animal movement and cause habitat fragmentation. Wildlife may need to cross roads in search of food, water, shelter, or mates, or when following seasonal migration routes. Animal populations isolated by intervening highways are prone to local extinction due to inbreeding, disease, or adverse environmental changes.

Population declines as a result of wildlife highway mortality
If wildlife deaths exceed births and immigration, a population will decline. Highway strikes are a major source of animal mortality and have had serious impacts on local wildlife populations.

In past years, elk were frequently victims of highway mortality in Kootenay National Park. It's believed, however, that the formerly high incidence of highway mortalities has reduced the elk population in Kootenay National Park. As a result, elk highway strikes are now relatively rare within the park. Between 1986 and 2005, 159 elk were hit by vehicles in Kootenay National Park, with more than half of these strikes occurring prior to 1993.

The bighorn sheep population near the village of Radium Hot Springs, B.C., has also had a high rate of highway mortalities. In recent years, there has been a substantial increase in the number of bighorn highway mortalities on Highway 93/95, just outside the park's boundary. Annual highway mortality is now estimated at greater than 10% of the population.

The effects of wildlife-vehicle collisions on moose, bears, wolves, and other carnivores, which tend to occur in small populations, are unknown but could be substantial. The loss of one or a few individuals of a rare species can impact the overall health of the population.

What is Parks Canada doing?
Throughout the Rocky Mountain National Parks (Kootenay, Yoho, Banff, and Jasper), a variety of measures have been implemented to help reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions. Drivers can also do their part to reduce the number of wildlife highway fatalities.

• Driver awareness and behaviour is key to reducing the number of highway strikes. Be sure to read the Parks Canada publications Keep the Wild in Wildlife and The Mountain Guide for tips on how to prevent a wildlife collision (both available online in PDF format).
• Stay alert. Watch for wildlife crossing signs and large elk silhouettes to determine where different species cross more frequently, but keep in mind that animals can appear anywhere along our highways.
• Obey year-round, seasonal, or temporary reduced speed zones that have been posted in areas where animals are at high risk of being hit.
• 24 highway wildlife crossing structures (over- and underpasses) and highway fencing have been installed over the past 25 years in Banff National Park as the Trans-Canada Highway has been upgraded from two lanes to a four lane divided highway. The effectiveness of these structures at connecting vital habitats and reducing road kill has been monitored since 1996. Fencing and crossing structures have reduced overall wildlife highway mortalities by more than 80%, and ungulate highway mortalities by 95%. This information is being used to inform future highway upgrades in the mountain parks and beyond.
• Aquatic species, such as fish and amphibians, also need to safely cross highways. Parks Canada is improving culvert and bridge structures as funds allow to help facilitate this movement.
• Report wildlife strikes, even if your vehicle is not damaged. Reporting the exact location will help wardens monitor injured animals and recover dead ones. Quick removal of dead animals prevents other animals from being attracted to the highway. Park Dispatch: 403.762.1473 (24 hours, 7 days a week) or Kootenay Warden Office: 250.347.9361 .

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