Getting licky with it

B.C.'s Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure has come up with a unique way to get wildlife off of B.C. roadways and back where they belong.

A herd of goats had been causing issues for travellers along Highway 31 near Nelson so the department came up with the idea to install a salt lick off the highway to see if it would lure the goats off the road.

According to the TranBC website, "a feisty herd of B.C. mountain goats were thrilled to discover a salt patch had magically bloomed, seemingly overnight, in a bluff of trees near Nelson. They got straight to work licking the salt, with no further concern for their old salt spot along Highway 31, with its zooming traffic."

The department refers to the idea as an “intercept” salt lick and indicates it is the brainchild of the ministry’s wildlife specialist who are always looking for ways to prevent the animals from hanging around the highway, where they are at risk of being struck by a vehicle.

The innovative idea may now be used at other highway locations where wildlife is tempted by salt.