Roadkill

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Biography

Roadkill is an animal or animals that have been struck and killed by motor vehicle s. In the United States of America , removal and disposal of animals struck by motor vehicles is usually the responsibility of the state's state trooper association or department of transportation.

History

During the early 20th century, roadkill or "flat meats" became a common sight in all industrialized First World nations, as they adopted the internal combustion engine and the automobile . Roadkill can be eaten, and there are several recipe books dedicated to roadkill. (See Roadkill cuisine ) One of the earliest observers of roadkill was the naturalist Joseph Grinnell, who noted in 1920: "This is a relatively new source of fatality; and if one were to estimate the entire mileage of such roads in the state , the mortality must mount into the hundreds and perhaps thousands every 24 hours."

In Australia , specific actions taken to protect against the variety of animals that can damage vehicles – such as bullbar s (usually known in Australia as 'roo bars', in reference to kangaroo s) – indicate the Australian experience has some unique features with road kill. In North America, deer are the animal most likely to cause vehicle damage.

Research

The Simmons Society was founded by Professor Roger M. Knutson of Luther College (Iowa)|Luther College in Decorah, Iowa|Decorah , Iowa , United States|US to further studies of road fauna. Professor Knutson also published a book called "Common Animals of Roads, Street, and Highway: A Field Guide To Flattened Fauna".

A recent study showed that insects, too, are prone to a very high risk of roadkill incidence. Research showed interesting patterns in insect/butterfly road kills in relation to the vehicle density. Although the insect community is equally at risk, much of the attention goes to bigger, more charismatic animals.

About 350,000 to 27 million birds are estimated to be killed on European roads each year.Erritzoe J., Mazgajski T. D., Rejt L. 2003. Bird casualties on European roads — a review. Acta Ornithol. 38: 77–93.

Breakdown by species

In 1993, 25 schools throughout New England participated in a roadkill study involving 1,923 animal deaths. By category, the fatalities were:

81% mammal s

15% bird s

3% reptile s and amphibian s

1% indiscernible

extrapolation|Extrapolating these data nationwide, Merritt Clifton, editor of Animal People Newspaper estimated that the following animals are being killed by motor vehicles in the United States annually:

41 million squirrel s

26 million cat s

22 million rat s

19 million Didelphimorphia|opossum s

15 million raccoon s

6 million dog s

350,000 deer

This study may not have considered differences in observability among taxa (i.e. dead raccoons are easier to see than dead frogs), and has not been published in peer-reviewed scientific literature.

State wildlife roadkill observation systems

Recently (since 2009), statewide roadkill observation systems have sprung up, enrolling hundreds of observers in reporting roadkill on a website. The observers, who are usually naturalists or professional scientists, provide identification, location, and other information about the observations. The data are then displayed on a website for easy visualization and made available for studies of proximate causes of roadkill, actual wildlife distributions, wildlife movement, and other studies. Roadkill observation system websites are available for the US states of California, Maine, and Idaho. In each case, index roads are used to help quantify total impact of vehicle collisions on specific vertebrate taxa.

State wildlife roadkill identification guide

The first wildlife roadkill identification guide produced by a state agency in North America was published by the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation (BCMoT) in Canada in 2008. BCMoT’s "Wildlife Roadkill Identification Guide" focused on the most common large carnivores and ungulates found in British Columbia. The guide was developed to assist BCMoT's maintenance contractors in identifying wildlife carcasses found on provincial highways as part of their responsibilities for BCMoT’s Wildlife Accident Reporting System (WARS).

Michigan roadkill analysis

In 1994, Michigan reported 56,666 deer collisions, of which five resulted in human fatalities, according to Mark Matthew Braunstein of the Santa Cruz Hub. The problem is so pervasive that, according to an article by Hank Pellissier of the San Francisco Chronicle , Michigan uses roadkill statistics to estimate its deer population.

Roadkill prevention

Collisions with animals can have many negative consequences:

Injury to, or death of, vehicle occupants

Injury to, or death of, pet s

Harm to endangered species

Injury to, or death of animal

Vehicle damage

Economic losses (cleanup, repairs to vehicles, etc.)

Collisions with animals with antlers (e.g., deer) are particularly dangerous, as the head has a tendency to separate and come through the windshield , but any large, long-legged animal (e.g. horses, larger cattle, camels) can pose a similar cabin incursion hazard. Injury to humans due to driver failure to maintain control of a vehicle either while avoiding, or during and immediately after an animal impact, is also not infrequent.

Deer horn s can be mounted on vehicles to warn deer of approaching automobiles, though their effectiveness is disputed.
The is an example of an organization advocating roadkill prevention.

Night driving

Although strikes can happen at any time of day, deer tend to move at dawn and dusk, and are particularly active during the October–December Estrous cycle|mating season . Driving at night presents its own challenges: Nocturnality|nocturnal species are on the move, and visibility, particularly side visibility, is reduced. When headlights approach a nocturnal animal, this makes it hard for the creature to see the approaching car (nocturnal animals see better in low than in bright light). Furthermore, the glare of vehicle headlights can dazzle some species, such as rabbit s; they will freeze in the road rather than flee. The simple tactics of reducing speed and scanning both sides of the road for foraging deer can improve driver safety at night. Drivers may see the glow of a deer's eyes before seeing the animal itself.

Wildlife crossings

Wildlife crossing s allow animals to travel over or underneath roads. They are most widely used in Europe , but have also been installed in a few U.S. locations and in parts of Western Canada . As new highway s cause habitat s to become increasingly fragmented, these crossings could play a crucial role in protecting endangered species.

In the United States, sections of road known to have heavy deer cross-traffic will usually have a warning sign depicting a bounding deer. Similar signs exist for moose , elk and other species.

In the Western United States|American West , roads may pass through large areas designated as " open range ", meaning no fences separate drivers from large animals such as cattle or American bison|bison . A driver may round a bend to find a small herd standing in the road. Open range areas are generally marked with signage and protected by a Cattle grid|cattle guard .

A few states now have sophisticated systems to protect motorists from large animals. One of these systems is called the roadway animal detection system. A Solar energy|solar powered sensor detects animals near the roadway and flashes a light to alert oncoming drivers.

Fencing

In the New Forest , in southern England , there is a proposal to fence roads to protect the New Forest pony . However, this proposal is controversial.

Health aspects

People using highway bridges for shelter should be aware that a bridge constitutes a trap for any animal that wanders onto it, and runoff cascading from the bridge during a rainstorm has often come into intimate contact with long-dead roadkill.

Eating roadkill

There has been at least one case in the United States where a jail inmate was allegedly forced to eat roadkill.

: '' We reject Sheriff Clegg's contention that the relevant law governing his conduct was not clearly established at the time Appellee was allegedly served contaminated roadkill meat in prison. , Goodrick v. Clegg, 129 F.3d 125, Unpublished Disposition, 9th Cir.(Idaho), Nov 13, 1997.

: Plaintiff Goodrick was incarcerated at Kootenai County Jail in Idaho on two occasions. While there he was fed roadkill, which he claims made him very sick. , Goodrick v. Clegg, 210 F.3d 382, Unpublished Disposition, 9th Cir.(Idaho), Jan 4, 2000.

Cultural aspects

The fact that most people's encounters with roadkill occur long enough after the time of death for the carcass to be further macerated by traffic, or begin to decompose, has contributed to strong negative or ironic cultural associations and taboos. For example, when the Tennessee legislature attempted to legalize the use of accidentally killed animals, they became the subject of stereotyping and derisive humor.

Roadkill is sometimes used as an art form. Several artists use traditional taxidermy preparation in their works whilst others explore different artforms. International artist Claudia Terstappen photographs roadkill and produces enormous prints which see the animals floating eerily in a void. Roadkill as art is not new, American artist Stephen Paternite has been exhibiting roadkill pieces since the 1970s.

Copyright Citations

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