Roadkill: An Option for Disposal
by What should we do with a dead deer on the roadside other than taking it to the dump?
Every area has different laws on what is to be done with roadkill. I am not talking about a persons pet cat or dog, those are often handled by the city animal control who prefer that the body is claimed by the owner. I am referring to the wildlife that is killed by cars and trucks on our roads.
Currently some areas allow the person who hit the animal, let us say a deer, to take it and use the meat themselves. This is a good idea. It removes the animal from the side of the road, where it would otherwise attract scavengers, and is unattractive in general.
Some areas have the animal control pick up the animals, often they go to a special part of the city garbage dump/landfill or are incinerated. As an animal lover, to me this is a complete waste of perfectly good dead meat. I know that sounds odd, but let me explain.
-
Everyday thousands of animals are killed for human consumption, most of these animals are kept in less than ideal conditions (factory farms) and their death is not quick nor pleasant.
-
Everyday predators must hunt to survive. Indeed their prey suffers because unlike humans, coyotes, cougars, bears, and wolves, do not have guns to make a quick kill.
-
Studies have been done showing that given the choice of killing, or finding a kill, most predators would rather find a kill than make one of their own.
-
Most predators, including coyotes, do not breed indiscriminately. They tend to practice population control by not allowing some females to breed. Thus keeping their numbers in check.
-
Farmers lose livestock every year to predators.
Image via Wikipedia
As much as I dislike coyotes (they killed two of my pet sheep) they have every right to live as we do.
Soooooooo why not take the dead roadkill to an empty field and allow predators to eat the dead animal rather than dumping it in some landfill and forcing the predator to kill some other animal?
Farmers have done studies where they take and buy the unwanted bones and so forth from a butcher and when they offer this to coyotes they no longer have problems with predation. In a fascinating show I watched, a farmer set up video cameras which even captured coyotes eating in the presence of calves, ignoring the calves, and eating the food left for them.
Maybe my idea is not realistic, nor will it be welcomed by many people, however it is one way that we can dispose of an unnatural kill, in a natural way. I also think other areas should take up the rule that if you kill something accidentally on the road you should be allowed to take it and use the meat yourself.
Liked it
-
-
-
Post CommentBrenda Nelson
On April 11, 2009 at 9:33 pm
I know… I think along morbid lines sometime, but seriously if we use the already dead animals.. fewer would be killed, suppose across the USA 10,000 deer are killed on roads every week, thats 10,000 less deer coyotes would need to kill in order for their survival, less death, is less death, or am I being idealistic?
R J Evans
On April 12, 2009 at 3:59 pm
No, this is an excellent idea!
Daisy Peasblossom
On May 2, 2009 at 8:14 pm
Not idealistic at all. Or, well maybe. We waste. I see so much of it–like burning trees where road crews are cleaning timber/brush for new roads. If those trees were cut into logs and burned as fuel or made into paper, think of all the other trees that could be saved! Why not let the coyotes eat the roadkill? they do when it is left lay where it is. So do the buzzards. Nature has a clean-up committee if we will just let it work.