ASSOCIATED PRESS
JACKSON,
Wyo. – Dozens of salt-loving mountain goats are coming down from the slopes of
western Wyoming to lick up the salt-and-sand mixture that snowplows
spread over a highway, leading to collisions with vehicles traversing the icy
canyon roadway.
At least
three goats were hit and killed by motorists over a five-day span in October
and November near the tip of the Snake River Canyon south of Jackson and near
the Idaho state line, Wyoming Game and Fish wildlife biologist Gary
Fralick told the “Jackson Hole News & Guide.”
The actual
number of goats killed each year along U.S. Highways 26 and 89 could be a lot
higher, he said.
“When you’re
losing anywhere from three to 15 goats a year potentially, that’s fairly
substantial,” Fralick said. “I think 15 goats could be getting struck [annually]
and not known about.”
The mountain
goats, which are not native to the area, appeared to learn in 2012 about the
mineral-rich salt that’s spread over the roadway in winter to make driving
safer, officials said.
They tend to
gather at the start of winter and again in the spring, when the first grasses
appear at the roadside.
There have
been fewer crashes in December since Fralick and Wyoming Highway
Patrol officials started driving the animals off the highway, he said.
Photographer
Jason Mihalick said the goats gather regularly in the mornings. He was shooting
photos this month when a trooper approached him.
“He was
like, ‘Get your shots, because I’m going to run them up the hill’,” Mihalick
said. The animals then bolted when the trooper revved his engine near the herd.
Officials
are considering solutions that include leaving salt blocks on the hillside to
keep the goats from seeking out highway salt. But Fralick said he’s reluctant
to take that step because it might lead to increased disease transmission among
the animals that gather there.
Fralick said
he would like to see warning signs to slow drivers as they go through the area,
but transportation officials say all the signs they have are being used.
The
salt-and-sand mixture left by the snowplows is necessary, Department of
Transportation foreman Bruce Daigle said.
“It’s a
shame, but we’ve got to be able to do our job, too, unfortunately,” Daigle
said. “We don’t like having to pick up dead animals, either.”
