N.B. RCMP warn ATVers to close moose gates

RCMP in northern New Brunswick are warning snowmobilers and ATV riders to close the gates inserted into wildlife fences as moose have been found walking on the highway.

The New Brunswick government has installed more than 300 kilometres of moose fencing along sections of several New Brunswick highways in the hope of averting collisions involving wildlife.

The fences in Petit-Rocher and Pointe-Vert, two small communities northwest of Bathurst, were recently unable to keep moose away from the Highway 11 after the gates were left open.

RCMP Cpl. Pat Gauthier said in one instance an officer had to coax a moose back behind the fence with her car's siren and then close the gate.

Gauthier said if a person opens a gate they must close it for the safety of the public andbecausethey could face criminal charges.

"Anyone that does something that can place someone else's life in danger if there is say an accident as a result of someone leaving a gate open that person could be looking at charges of criminal negligence, which is a Criminal Code offence," Gauthier said.

"We'd also like to mention that along some of these gates there is video surveillance in place so you know it's a good thing to close the gate behind you."

Gauthier said in many cases all-terrain vehicle operators open the gates to access trails.

Annually, more than 300 New Brunswick drivers are in collisions with moose.

According to the Transportation Department, 85 per cent of those crashes happen between May and October, as the massive animals leave the forests to get away from pests and the heat and to eat roadside vegetation.

The Department of Transportation fences areas that have had more than 15 collisions involving a moose over a five-year period.

In September, Transportation Minister Denis Landry said he will not consider a request from the New Brunswick All-Terrain Vehicle Federation to open up moose fencing along provincial highways.

The ATV federation was also looking for the department to allow access to wildlife underpasses that let animals cross from one side of the road to the other. ATV riders currently aren't permitted to use them.