Imagine suddenly and unexpectedly coming across the rotting carcasses of dozens of large animals, killed in road accidents, piled up in a clearing.
That’s what one Deer Lake man recently encountered when he took the wrong turn off the highway and ended up smack-dab in the midst of moose and caribou carcasses in various stages of decomposition.
The minister responsible for wildlife, Gerry Byrne, says some 500 large animals are killed every year either due to vehicle collisions, injuries, disease or conservation measures.
The animals the Deer Lake man encountered were in an enclosed area where carcasses are held before disposal. The area in question is closed to the public, but it appears locks on gates surrounding the property were removed.
The minister says the man appears to have come across the site innocently. An investigation is currently underway into how the locks on the enclosure were breached.
A similar location, off the Trans-Canada near Benton was brought to the public’s attention a few years ago.