AN ASSESSMENT OF MOOSE AND ELK TRAIN COLLISIONS IN ONTARIO, CANADA

Authors

  • Joe Hamr
  • Mike Hall
  • Jesse N. Popp Laurentian University

Keywords:

Caribou, elk, moose, railroad, wildlife-train collisions

Abstract

To better understand train collision mortality of moose (Alces alces) and elk (Cervus elaphus) in Ontario, we measured collisions along a 20 km segment of railway using post-winter railbed surveys (11 consecutive years), remote cameras, and radio-telemetered elk. We used these data to estimate provincial moose-train collision rates by extrapolating collision rates, moose density, and amount of high use railway per Wildlife Management Unit (WMU). The annual collision rate varied from 0 to 7 moose and 2 to 22 elk on the 20 km section of railway; the combined collision rate of moose and elk was highest in winters with above average snowfall. The extrapolated collision rates of moose indicated that ~1/3 of WMUs had a rate > 0.08 moose/km high use railway/yr; ~2/3 had a rate > 0.04. A conservative estimate of annual mortality was ~265 moose province-wide. Given that railway expansion is predicted globally, and specifically in Ontario, planning should include potential mitigation strategies that minimize ungulate-train collisions.

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Published

2019-05-07

How to Cite

Hamr, J., Hall, M., & Popp, J. N. (2019). AN ASSESSMENT OF MOOSE AND ELK TRAIN COLLISIONS IN ONTARIO, CANADA. Alces: A Journal Devoted to the Biology and Management of Moose, 55, 1–12. Retrieved from https://www.alcesjournal.org/index.php/alces/article/view/242

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