“Do not let moose lick your car!” This is a warning that authorities of a Canadian town have recently issued. No, we’re not kidding. Jasper, a town in Canada’s Alberta province, is specifically asking its residents to make sure that moose don’t lick their cars. Are you wondering why? Turns out, it has to do with the animals’ obsession with salt.
“They’re obsessed with salt, it’s one of the things they need for the minerals in their body. They usually get it from salt lakes in the park, but now they realized they can also get road salt that splashes onto cars,” Jasper National Park spokesman Steve Young told CNN.
The roads in the town are sprinkled with the snow-melting substances, reports New York Post. When cars drive through these roads, those substances get stuck onto the body of the vehicle and they’re salty in taste. Moose lick that off the vehicles for a quick salt fix. This is really dangerous for the animals and that is why the town is now taking serious steps to protect them.
In fact, the authorities have put up very direct signs cautioning residents about this. A few images of the signs have now gone viral, after being shared on Twitter by Carolyn Campbell and are making many chuckle.
{{/usCountry}}In fact, the authorities have put up very direct signs cautioning residents about this. A few images of the signs have now gone viral, after being shared on Twitter by Carolyn Campbell and are making many chuckle.
{{/usCountry}}Since being shared, the post has gathered close to 47,000 likes and tons of comments. While some commented on the hilarity of the whole situation, others poured in questions.
“This moose was in my backyard eating my kale. It looks like he got in a fight with a snowman as he was wearing a scarf,” wrote a Twitter user along with an image of the animal.
An individual asked, “But how would you stop it?” Another questioned, “Why not?”
Take a look at what others wrote:
To answer the several questions, Jasper National Park replied on the post’s comments section. “Moose licks usually happen on cars stopped to view moose. Keep beyond moose-tongue distance by moving on before a moose approaches. As always, only stop where it is safe to do so and stay in your vehicle near wildlife,” they wrote.
What do you think of this highly unusual advisory post?