Canadians Sue Over Loose Moose

Injured Newfoundland drivers launch class-action suit
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 12, 2011 2:41 AM CST
Canadians Sue Over Loose Moose
"When you hit a moose, it’s like hitting a brick wall. It comes right in on you," one injured driver says.   (AP Photo/Pat Wellenbach)

Dozens of Newfoundlanders who say their province has too many moose are taking their government to court. The plaintiffs in the class-action suit, including two drivers who were paralyzed after car accidents involving moose, charge that the government hasn't done enough to control populations of the animal. Moose were introduced to the island a century ago, and now number around 120,000—one moose for every four residents.

There are some 700 moose-vehicle collisions in the province ever year. "We are hoping for a reduction of moose densities in the province for ecological reasons as well as human safety reasons,” the plaintiff's lawyer tells the Toronto Star. “They’re eating us out of house and home.” The government, however, says it is “confident in its moose management strategies." (More moose stories.)

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