On Saturday 31 May 2003 05:54 pm, John Cowan wrote:
> Andreas Johansson scripsit:
>
> > On the streets? It happens, but isn't common. Unlike hitting one in
100km/h at
> > the motorway.
>
> When you drive into the U.S. state of Maine (in the northeast corner),
ther
> is a sign telling you how many people have been killed in moose
accidents
> that year, continuously updated (by hand; it's a non-electronic sign).
> American _Alces alces_ are tall enough that no part of the animal's
body
> is visible to a driver at night except the legs, which are pretty
spindly.
> So if a moose is crossing the highway at night, a driver can smash
right
.
> Similar problems occur in Alaska and Canada.
>
> --
> And through this revolting graveyard of the universe the muffled,
maddening
> beating of drums, and thin, monotonous whine of blasphemous flutes
from
> inconceivable, unlighted chambers beyond Time; the detestable pounding
> and piping whereunto dance slowly, awkwardly, and absurdly the
gigantic
> tenebrous ultimate gods -- the blind, voiceless, mindless gargoyles
whose soul
> is Nyarlathotep. (Lovecraft) John
Cowan|jcowan@reutershealth.com|ccil.org/~cowan
>
>
A similar problem once nearly happened to my father when he was driving
a small car (a Fiat) in Connecticut*. Since the moose probably weighed
more than the car, it was fortunate that the sun was almost up and he
was able to see and avoid the moose.
(*This was in approximately 1964 and I don't know whether young mooses
still occasionally wander down the Connecticut River from Vermont into
central Connecticut. The river banks may be too built up in
Massachusetts now. On the other hand, a lot of places in Connecticut
that were farm fields in the mid-to-late 1800s were wooded by the
mid-to-late 1900s, so there may be enough connected woodlands for an
intrepid young moose to still make the trek. )
--
Elyse Grasso
The World of Cherani Station
www.data-raptors.com/cherani/index.html
Cherani Tradespeech
www.data-raptors.com/cherani/tradespeech.html