Unfortunately some wildlife species get in the habit of licking road salt off the road or from the right-of-way. In the northern Rocky Mountains bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) display this behavior in many locations. Bighorn sheep and other species also use natural salt licks, but licking salt from the road surface also exposes the animals to toxins from oil, brake fluid, and tires. And then there is the obvious and immediate danger from traffic; the more time the animals spend on or near roads the more likely it is that they will eventually be hit by a vehicle. This ram is licking road salt from cracks in the pavement in July. He purposefully moved from one large crack in the asphalt to the next. I think that given the time of year (July) most of the road salt had already washed off the smooth pavement, but some road salt appears to have accumulated in the cracks. There are alternatives that are not only less harmful to wildlife but that are also less corrosive, but each de-icer has its advantages and disadvantages. Click here for a series of images of bighorn sheep ewes, lambs and a ram licking road salt off a road in British Columbia, Canada.

Summer Sale through 31 August 2012

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Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) ram licking roadsalt, British Columbia, Canada