Dear Editor,
In the past two weeks, I have seen many deer dead at the side of the road, along the stretch from the Highway 8 traffic circle to the hamlet of Bragg Creek.
A frantic mother deer in the middle of the road nuzzling her dead fawn July 17 was particularly tragic. Five cars stopped to try to help; the fawn was moved well off the road. The next morning, the mother was still there with her fawn. Heartbreaking.
There are no deer crossing signs along this stretch of Highway 22.
What can we do?
• Rocky View County could consider installing signs
• At dawn and dusk, scan the ditches for wildlife – this is when they are most active
• If a single deer crosses, slow down or stop – there is a high probability a fawn or a herd of deer are trying to follow
• To protect other wildlife, safely move the body off the road
With the high volume of traffic during the summer months, we need to be aware of these risks – for both our safety and for the well-being of our local wildlife.
Lorie Cooper
Bragg Creek
