Spring time has come again and nature has returned with its age-old dance of birds and bees, causing lots of young animals to be around to cross into drivers' paths.
In a social media post on May 29, City of Nanaimo warned drivers to watch out as deer are out wandering, often with a fawn or two close by.
According to Doug Fraser, past president of Nature Nanaimo, it isn't just deer fawns people should be watching out for.
"Every time we build a new road, we not only destroy a bit of habitat, but we fragment habitat," Fraser explained. "So animals are forced to cross roads to reach habitat, and even animals that are in a sense, wise enough to not cross roads to take that risk, their available habitat is being reduced."
One local species Fraser said drivers should look out for are turtles, particularly the western painted turtle, which are endangered and native to Vancouver Island. The western painted turtle leaves the water seasonally during egg laying time from June to July, then when the newborns make the dangerous trek to the water the next May to June.
After an animal is hit, Fraser warned there will likely also be scavengers, which in Vancouver Island could mean vultures and ravens.
"They're more vulnerable because of the roadkill. It's a really difficult situation, it really behooves drivers to kind of be as careful as they can," he said. "It's important people don't do dramatic swerves to try to avoid wildlife and put themselves and others at risk, but be aware of your surroundings and traffic and slow down and stop when you can, especially evenings and night time when you can't see well. Use your high beams when you can."
According to ICBC data, in the last available reporting period, 2023, June had 17 animal-related collisions in Nanaimo. ICBC uses data that comes from claims out of optional insurance coverage that includes hitting an animal, wild or domestic.
(ICBC data showing the number of Nanaimo animal-related collisions reported in 2023)
Of Vancouver Island municipalities, Nanaimo had the highest number of animal related collisions in 2023, with 221. November was the highest month with 46 animal-related collisions, followed by October with 31, then July with 21.
Fraser cautioned that this data largely leaves out smaller animals, such as turtles, frogs and small birds, which wouldn't generate an insurance claim, but can still be anticipated to be on roadways.
"There's way more little things killed and of course they go sort of unnoticed and the bigger animals that cause damage [and] are obviously at risk of causing serious injury, are the ones getting all the attention."
A 2016 report, quantifying wildlife vehicle collision under-reporting on northern British Columbia highways, co-authored by Gayle Hesse of B.C. Conservation Foundation and Roy Rea from University of Northern British Columbia, looked at the datasets of wildlife vehicle collisions in B.C. from four agencies, ICBC, the province's Wildlife Accident Reporting System, RCMP and conservation officer service.
Out of 3,004 wildlife vehicle collisions, only two were recorded by all four agencies, with 2,572 situations being unique to the records of only one agency, indicating a significant under-reporting of animals hit by vehicles in the province.
The authors estimated the under-reporting rate to be 65 per cent for the Wildlife Accident Reporting System and 55 per cent for ICBC when it comes to wild animal collisions.
Fraser said regardless of the time of year, drivers should be alert and careful, keeping in mind seasonal challenges.
Dawn and dusk are when animals are most active, which Fraser says is part of the reason ICBC's fall numbers are higher for Nanaimo, as dusk hits during heavy traffic. Winter also has unique challenges, with road salt getting caught in rumble strips, encouraging deer to stop on the road for a treat.
"At least right now, when most people are driving it's light out, so that helps, but then there's lots of young animals in spring that aren't very road aware so they're more likely to be vulnerable."
For long-term transit infrastructure planning, Fraser said wildlife overpasses and underpasses are valuable assets. For example, in Chilliwack, the Fraser Valley Conservancy installed 'toad tunnels' to guide amphibians under the road.
"There are opportunities to plan ahead and provide for wildlife."
