Roadkill – Problems and Prevention

Occasionally when travelling through the streets, you may come across dead animals that are the result of an accident. It is important to take action to stop the accidents from happening, rather than deal with each carcass as it appears. The situation will only change if drivers become more careful when driving, or animals are discouraged from crossing the road.

Problems Caused by Roadkill

There are a lot of problems that will result from the death of an animal by a car crash. Here are some of them:

  • The accident may cause damage to the vehicle that hit it, as well as injury to the occupants of the vehicle.
  • The local government will need to clean and repair the site of the accident.
  • The distasteful condition and appearance of the roadkill may alarm tourists.
  • The accident would result in the painful death of the animal involved.
messy dead animal lying on the ground

What to Do

When you come across any roadkill, first contact the local gaming authorities. Keeping track of animal death toll is important to them, especially in regard to large creatures. If it is a small animal that is involved, however, you only need to remove it from the road.

Roadkill Prevention

To prevent such accidents from happening, you could choose to change 1) the behavior of drivers, 2) the behavior of animals, or 3) both.

Changing Driver Behavior

There are three ways to accomplish this.

  • Put up signs to alert drivers to the possible presence of animals nearby.
  • Place rumble strips and proper lighting around more hazardous areas.
  • Use speed bumps and chicanes to slow drivers down.

Changing Animal Behavior

  • Discourage animals from crossing the road. Use tools such as ultra sonic sound, reflectors and fencing to keep animals away.
  • Provide safe crossing, such as an overpass and/or underpass. This will help in preventing animals from wandering out onto roads.
bat crash

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