20+ years ago I had the privilege of working with Karsten Heuer. In the early 1990's, he walked from Yellowstone to the Yukon as part of the Y2Y Conservation Initiative. One of the things he was documenting while on that walk was habitat fragmentation.
Transportation corridors are one of the major culprits that cause fragmentation, and this moment I experienced on a local drive last month reminded me of Karsten and his adventures.
The moose calf in this image is separated from its mom (who is on the other side of the highway) and cannot figure out how to get past this pasture fence. I pulled over and turned off the car engine and watched, hoping for a good outcome. The calf frantically paced back and forth along the fence - but it actually came alongside where I had parked my car (that's when this image was taken).
Eventually, mom came back, jumped the fence to join her calf and the two of them ran for the trees (happy ending)!
Anyone interested in the Y2Y program, click
HERE for more information.
Comments
8 commentsI had stopped far enough back so as not to be in their way, so unfortunately - with the calf on the passenger side of the road - this photo had to be shot through the vehicle windshield, so clarity suffers a bit. That's the reason why I chose the one where the calf was right beside my car, and with the window rolled down it was a clearer shot, but I agree with you that this one shows the issue better.
I didn't go on the trek with Karsten. The town I live in was one of many that he stopped at and gave presentations, so at least I did get to see him.
Karen, there was a lot between my first mine and the zoo. I actually worked in 3 mines, and at 4 zoos before becoming a zoo director. Long story.
Excellent image that depicts the problem first hand.. That moose calf's kinda cute too
Well done!