The recent wildlife crowds on the East Bench started Feb. 1 near the I-215/I-80 interchange and have continued through the week as officials try to move an elk herd to areas safer for motorists and animals.
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources said about 60 elk have been migrating down to the mouth of Parleys Canyon and crossing Foothill Blvd. and I-80 in Salt Lake City.
Thursday the DWR and other agencies pushed the elk back up the mountain and away from the busy roadway. However, they keep to coming back down to escape the deep snow and find food.
DWR officials are urging drivers to use extreme caution in Parleys Canyon and the surrounding area:
⚠️ Please use caution and decrease your speed if driving in this area. Elk and other big game animals on roadways present a serious safety hazard for motorists. These wildlife can be especially active during low-light conditions and are difficult to see on the roadway.
⚠️ Drive alert and keep an eye out for elk or other wildlife on or near the roads. Big game animals cross many roadways throughout Utah during migration and in search of less snow and food sources.
⚠️ Do not approach the elk if you see them. It is unsafe and can cause the animals to move into roads and other problematic areas.
⚠️ Don’t feed the elk or other big game animals, due to safety concerns, disease concerns and the potential harm to the animals from introducing foods not in their diets, particularly during winter months. We have implemented emergency feeding for deer in parts of Summit and Rich counties and will continue to monitor the body fat conditions of big game and winter conditions in other parts of the state, as well.
DWR officials said they and other agencies will continue to monitor the situation and work on solutions to move this elk herd as safely as possible.
The DWR recently released a new app to help Utahns report roadkill in and effort to get it quickly cleared from roadways.
The Utah Department of Transportation completed a wildlife bridge in Parleys Canyon in 2019 to help keep drivers and animals safer.
In the years since, DWR and UDOT have teamed up to create and install more structures to help wildlife and fish safely migrate across Utah.
According to the Division of Natural Resources, Utah made history when it completed the first wildlife overpass in the U.S. in 1975 on I-15 near Beaver. Since then, at least 119 structures have been constructed around the state that allow the passage of wildlife and fish.