RCMP are warning drivers to watch out for elk along three roadways in northeastern New Brunswick, after about a dozen of the animals escaped from a nearby farm.
The RCMP issued the warning after a police cruiser struck and killed two elk that were on the road Thursday night. The officer wasn't injured.
The elk were hit on Route 11 between Campbellton and Bathurst, said Cpl. François Côté of the Campbellton detachment.
He said RCMP have an idea of who owns the elk but didn't want to release those details Friday.
The animals have been spotted along Routes 134, 11 and 280, and RCMP are warning motorists in the Dundee and Dalhousie Junction areas to use extra caution.
'There's lot of reasons why animals in captivity are problematic. ' - Rod Cumberland, retired wildlife biologist
Jean Bertin, a spokesperson for the Department of Energy and Resource Development, said the department estimates, based on reports from the public over the last two weeks, the two elk struck and killed may be among about a dozen that are believed to be in the area.
Elk are not native to New Brunswick and are considered a risk to wildlife species in the provinces, Bertin said.
Rod Cumberland, a certified wildlife biologist, said the incident points to why biologists "aren't crazy about having exotic animals in captivity."
He said they can be a danger on roads and put other species at risk.
"There's lot of reasons why animals in captivity are problematic," he said. "And we just keep seeing all kinds of problems."
