7 Large Animal Crash Mitigation
7.1.4 Elk Radio Collars – Washington
The information on the elk radio collar system in Washington was obtained from an article in the Sequim Journal.19
Impetus for the Activity
The rapidly growing population in the Dungeness Valley combined with a large herd of Roosevelt Elk produced a dozen elk killed by motorists in the past 5 years. In addition, a new freeway was completed this year, replacing the old road, which increased the problem. Conventional treatments, such as fence building and using dogs and people to scare the herd were rejected as too expensive and inhumane, respectively. A wildlife biologist, Shelly Ament, came up with the idea for the elk radio collar system. The objective of the system is to protect both the elk and the highway users from animal-vehicle collisions.
System Description
The system consists of radio collars, which have a 3-year battery life, a receiver, and a set of flashing warning lights on roadside signs with the words, “ELK X-ING” and a picture of an elk. The collars have been attached to the herd leaders (about 1 in 10 elk), and emit a signal. When the elk come within
0.4 km of a receiver, the warning lights flash. It is hoped that the warning lights will cause drivers to
slow down.
System Effectiveness Evaluation
In the 6 months following deployment of the system, only one animal was killed. The State wildlife supervisor considers this result to be very encouraging.
Obstacles Encountered and Lessons Learned
The State wildlife supervisor noted that, “Some people, no matter what you do, are just never going to pay attention.”