Roxanna Thompson
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Oct 07/05) - Motorists are being cautioned to watch for bison that are coming closer than normal to the city.

Early this week a small herd of 12 animals was spotted 50 km outside the city along Highway 3, 10 km nearer than the week prior.

Bison were involved in three collisions last week.

On Sept. 30 at 6:30 a.m. a steel blue Dodge Durango hit a full grown male bison 65 km outside of the city on Highway 3.

The collision smashed the front of the vehicle, said Serg. Bill Eubank of the Rae-Edzo RCMP. The driver wasn't injured.

"He was just a little surprised," said Eubank.

On the evening of Sept. 25 there were two separate collisions with bison involving a Dodge pickup truck and a Ford F150 near Fort Providence.

In both cases there was extensive front end damage to the vehicles, said Cpl. Rob Harkin of the Fort Providence RCMP.

"Particularly at night and this time of the year when it's darker out and if it's been raining you just don't see them," said Harkin.

The bison are easier to see in the winter because the snow sticks to their backs providing a contrast, he said.

Statistically this is the worst time of the year for collisions, said Bob Kelly, spokesperson for the Transportation department. "People leaving Yellowknife need to be prepared to meet animals sooner than they would have in the past," said Kelly.

Kelly warns that the animals are "very unpredictable" and will run across the road without warning.

The animals have been moving closer to the city in recent years. In the past you had to travel 100 km or more to see them, Kelly said.

"The message is slow down," said Kelly.