Elk-crossing warning-flashers - help keep drivers and animals safe.
Quote:
An adult elk can weigh up to 600 pounds, and when elk meet with motor vehicles, the results are often fatal for both animal and driver.
"You don't want to hit an elk," says Norris Dodd, a wildlife biologist for the Arizona Game and Fish Department. "A deer will do damage, but an elk can kill you."
So starting next month, the Arizona Game and Fish Department, with help from Electrobraid Fence, a Canadian electronics company, goes online to test infrared cameras that use military-grade, target-acquisition software to identify the presence of wildlife at roadsides.
When the software detects an animal, the system sends a message to a computer that triggers warning signs. The hope is that the signs, which are solar powered, will give drivers time to slow down.
|
I read elsewhere that a great deal of the money for this project comes from state lottery proceeds, which flow into the education system as well as the Fish and Game Dept. Pretty good use for lottery money, don't you think?
I think a lot of states with abundant wildlife could use a safety system like this.
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/sto...2599992&page=1