The presence of large wildlife has been observed for several weeks and in several places in the Saguenay Lac-Saint-Jean territory since the beginning of June.
The Ministry of Transport considers the situation sufficiently important to appeal for caution.
The presence of bears, moose and caribou is common, but this year, the white-tailed deer, commonly called the roe deer, seems more present than in past years.
“This is the main observation of the ministry teams on the ground based on reports made by the 5-1-1 line,” said MTQ spokesperson in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, Maxime Hébert-Lévesque. .
Three carcasses were notably recovered earlier this spring near La Baie on Route 70. You should also be careful in the sectors of Larouche, Saint-Honoré, and Saint-Nazaire, towards Lamarche, as well as on the road 169, in the Laurentides wildlife reserve towards Quebec.
“It’s really noted across the entire territory,” indicated Maxime Hébert-Lévesque.
The milder winter we experienced perhaps explains why white-tailed deer are seen more on the roads.
“The snow cover was not very high and it was not very cold this winter,” recalled biologist Jean-Marc Mergeay of the MTQ. “Maybe more of the population survived? Perhaps I wouldn’t go that far because we don’t have all the data, but the fact remains that we are seeing more than before.”
The ministry invites drivers to be extremely vigilant, especially during more favorable periods: the months of June, July, October and November, especially at dawn and dusk.
“The first thing to do is to slow down, because the animal’s behavior is always unpredictable,” according to Mr. Mergeay. “Then, you have to make signals with your headlights to warn other motorists.”
Drivers are asked to report the presence of any animals using the 5-1-1 line. Warning signs have already been installed in the Saint-Nazaire and Saint-Gédéon sectors. Others will be this fall in Saint-Honoré.
