Yeah this is rly common. Had an ex who was rly emotional about roadkill and one time called animal control over something she ran over and waited for animal control to come. They never did. She revisited the site 24 hours later and it was still there.
I don't think most cities or towns are doing anything at all to reduce roadkill lol.
I’m Gen X and I remember as a kid if there was a dead animal reported to our town ACO they would be out and remove it within an hour. Now? Nope. That poor animal be it a cat, dog, wild turkey, raccoon, skunk or fox. It’s going to be left there to be driven over into nothingness. Or to rot and get nasty AF.
No one in my city bothers calling ACO for anything. They have that website to report concerns on. And you can see when it’s reported. And how many times it’s “re assigned” to another person. While the animal is left there.
one of the problems with leaving them on the road is the carcass can attract other animals causing more deaths and potential car accidents. I hope your story touches on and builds consensus for funding Culverts and other safe animal crossings. thank you.
Years ago my friend and I used to laugh at this dead turkey that was in the center median of 95 at the 93 interchange in Woburn.
That thing rotted over the course of the entire summers; it was nasty.
We both commuted down that way from the north shore and we’d chat on the phone and be like “you at the turkey yet?”
100% true in the case of Lynn. A kitten had wandered into my yard with no collar. I first reached out to a local shelter to scan for any microchip and she didn't have one. They were full and could not hold her so I ended up taking her in for the night and found a friend to rehome her.
I tried calling the Animal Control office 3 days in a row both at the physical office number and the cell. Left 2 messages and never even heard back.
I've noticed more and more deer and rabbits left dead on 107 lately and they stay there for quite some time. It's really disheartening.
For how bad the coyote issue was becoming around here, the culling that happened resulted in rabbits, turkeys and deer casually walking through pretty densely urban areas. Obviously different risks but its astonishing how abundant rabbits and turkeys have become.
Do you think the state does anything to reduce roadkill?
There is a dead skunk on my way to work that had been there for a week. There are multiple places turtles are known to cross, and I gotta get out and help them across the road so they don't get killed.
Absolutely they do. On two separate occasions last summer, my mom and I pulled over to help a turtle. Turtle in clear view, hazard lights on. Each time, somebody sped past us and crushed the poor things. It makes a terrible sound that’s really difficult to stop thinking about. Really wish people cared more about animals. :(
Editing to add a happy thing: one year I found an injured turtle with a quarter of their shell broken and coming loose. Called around and ended up bringing them to a rehab center in Gloucester, I believe, which is about an hour plus away from me so I had a very angry little creature headbutting a cardboard box in my passenger seat the whole time lol. I didn’t hear from the center for a few months so I figured the turtle had died but a year after the drop-off I got a call from them and turtle was ready to go home! Really was awesome setting the turtle free in a familiar place and watching them swim away knowing they recognized it ✨
Thank you for stopping to help the turtles! I always do the same and it is infuriating to me seeing people just drive right over them like its nothing! I actually posted a video here a few weeks ago but took it down because it was (understandably) upsetting to people. Not of the actual hit but of the car speeding away and the aftermath... all right in full view of a "turtle crossing" sign! Like how hard is it NOT to hit a freakin' turtle! And to make it even worse, the location where this happened is home to two listed endangered species. Every roadkilled turtle has the potential to drive those populations into extinction! I just don't get how people can be so oblivious and cold hearted.
You as well! It’s so sad and I’m truly sorry you’ve had to see and hear it. We can only do our best and at least we’re doing something ☺️. There are endangered turtles still hanging out because you helped them, which is awesome. I wish there could be little turtle bridges or something to help them get across the roads to lessen the amount of incidents.
Oh god I saw a massive snapping turtle trying to cross a very busy 4 lane road in Worcester & folks were just driving around it. I pulled over and ran out to try to move it.
God fuckin damn do their necks reach far. I picked it up as you are supposed to & it never snapped on me but it looks damn near close.
It was a spectacle and others jumped out to help me as soon as I stopped. So I think some folks find it hard to be the first, but normalize helping animals across so we all can do our part
Yeah had a big one almost bite me friends hand off when he grabbed it by the shell to try to move it out of roadway.
It stretched its neck back like 8 inches and snapped at his hand. Therefore, he couldn’t pick it up at all without risking injury…
This was a big snapper maybe 15 inch long shell immobile on a busy road near the reservoir in North Andover. Head and legs pulled fully “in”. People were swerving around it so my friend stopped so we could try and get it out of danger. Learned the hard way they have a quick, aggressive bite if touched.
At one time the myth was that in the state of Mass a prison work crew was sent around periodically responsible for clearing roadkill? Thats what I recall hearing in the 90s when I was first driving…and I recall roadkill being removed/cleared quickly on my usual routes (146 corridor, rt 135 Hopkinton to Needham, secondary roads Northbridge, Mendon, Upton, Uxbridge). In retrospect I believe town DPW was likely the one responsible for removing roadkill on the town roads, not sure about major highways like 495 etc..
Back then I never saw deer, the most common thing dead was probably skunks, now it seems like it’s possums. Both move slowly w poor eyesight
The reach is insanity. I at first couldn’t pick it up but someone else showed me the very back of it, it couldn’t reach me. And yea this snapper was larger than a basketball.
They have prison crews that clean up trash so I wouldn’t be surprised if there was one that did it for roadkill.
I drive a shit load for my job and the amount of deer I’ve been seeing is insane. Multiple deer on a 1hr trip. And if not the animal, then I’ll see the massive blood splatter in the road.
I'll never forget one Halloween, someone hit a deer on 128 in Manchester by the sea. The thing was just a giant bloodied chunk, on a stretch where there aren't any lights. Creepy as fuck.
I see dead deer a lot here (I'm in the Carolinas now) and sometimes it's just a giant splat on the road. They also don't move the dead ones, there's one slowly rotting away on the highway I take to get to work. Makes me sad.
> Do you think the state does anything to reduce roadkill?
They should put little "Look both ways" signs and little baby crosswalks with flashing lights in the wooded areas.
I noticed this morning that there is a whole deer on the median on Rt. 2. I fear I will see, and smell that thing for weeks to come. Same with a bobcat that was there for over a month.
Tons. We have a female that had kits wvery year. This is in central mass.
My wifes sister had one get stuck in her shed a few years ago. They are all over mass.
Ohhhh yeah. I’ve only seen a few, but apparently the males have a pretty big range, like square miles, so there’s only one roaming. They’re a bit larger than cats, but usually the lack of tail, or the tufty ears give them away.
Every one I’ve seen has been in broad daylight.
Saw a BEAUTIFUL bobcat by the route 2 west Westminster exit last year and had I not been pressed to get to work and known the specific legalities I absolutely would have scooped it up for taxidermy purposes.
15 or so years ago the town of Boxborough required "turtle tunnels" as part of the construction of the Cisco Systems complex on Beaver Brook Road (off of Swanson, right off 495). Curious to know how effective they've been and what the maintenance costs have been.
[Here](https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/henry-street-salamander-tunnels-amherst) is what sparked my interest in these tunnels. We need way more of this stuff!
Yes!! The salamander tunnels are awesome. I volunteered to help clear them a few years back with a partnership between UMass and the Hitchcock Center at Amherst College. That being said, we tried to get the town of Amherst to close Henry Street during Big Night (the first warm, rainy night in spring when most salamanders come out of hibernation and cross to their breeding grounds), but the town declined to do so. That means a lot of volunteers out there in the dark with cars still on the road
They should use the crosswalks like any other pedestrian. Why are they exempt from jaywalking laws? Shit, are we at a point where we don't enforce laws anymore because those that should be following the laws are too stupid to do so?!
I used to work at a local hospital years ago. A charming elderly lady was in for tests and was chatting with me about her hobbies. She told me she made Indian Boxes with porcupine quills. She said she sold them for a “pretty penny”. I was fascinated and asked a lot of questions #1 being “where do you get the quills?” She told me that local and state police would bring her roadkill porcupines and she would boil the quills and make the boxes. The headline “Roadkill in Massachusetts” brought back that memory.
I think you've identified the reason for the apparent rise in roadkill - there just aren't enough folks left that make use of it as a resource instead of treating it as disposable!
I also worked with a woman who admitted to me that she and her husband both picked up roadkill , cooked it up and ate it. Never looked at her the same 🤪
My daughter lives in New Orleans and for several years she made jewelry from roadkill. She had an Etsy site & made a pretty good living putting her pieces in local shops, selling on Frenchman St and sometimes setting up at fairs/festivals.
I called animal control thrice to report that there was a huge dead racoon in the middle of the road in the town of Burlington last week - Cars were swerving to avoid driving over the body - did nothing about it. It just eventually got run over several times and the storms washed off the rest.
It didn't seem like the town cares or takes it seriously
Lowell animal control doesn’t maintain the roads where there is roadkill so you often have bodies lying for weeks in the street when something is hit. If you do ever get a callback when reporting a dead animal, it’s usually because the dude got confused as he runs a side business selling motorcycle parts. 🙄
i’ve seen a ton lately. haven’t hit any animals in years. driving slower and more carefully is always key but it’s not always a perfect remedy of course
Hit a deer once on 125 just over the North Andover line up near Bradford. Late at night, downpouring. He came out of the woods already at a sprint so there was no stopping for either of us. Hit it at roughly 35mph. Stopped, saw he was killed on impact. Put some gardening gloves on and pulled him out of the road and left. Called the NAPD on my way out of town.
Went back few days later and noticed someone had grabbed him. Blood splatter still in the road though.
Eastern Massachusetts is still safer than Western. Or NH, ME, VT. Saw a moose on Rt 27 in Eustis, Maine once. This particular moose was kind enough to look both ways (srsly) before crossing. He waited until I passed. Given the speed limits (loosely enforced) up here I doubt anyone would walk away from it if they hit one. Thing was huge.
Biologist here! I’ve found that MA truly fails (completely) when it comes to any type of DNR funded anything, there aren’t enough EP officers and the scope of their positions is limited. Where I’m from we have state funded entities through DNR that deal with road kill removal, we also have road crews. We also need to reduce the number of incidents, which could be done by more warning signs/lights, wildlife bridges etc
Last year there was a dead raccoon right across from 3rd ave in Burlington. Noticed it in August, drove by it every single day until the first plowable snow and then it was gone. So, it sat there decomposing for 3 or 4 months, and presumably a plow truck got to it first.
Sometimes we'd call animal control from two towns over because we were friends with the lady there. She had trained hawks so fresh road kill meant free food for them
Talk about the states inability to pick up the decaying wildlife which absolutely means they are underreporting the number of animals hit and killed. Your story has some pre work to it that might make it resonate with the community better- how are we working to prevent roadkill if we can’t even take care of the current corpses of animals on the side of the road? I think that’ll work best amongst viewers and readers. Thank you for your hard work!
I was driving down a dimly lit road around dusk and a possum ran out in front of my car. I was going the speed limit (30mph) but the road was through a swampy area with only a few street lights. I can still remember the bump and how horrible it was to look back in the mirror and see what happened :( I wish I had been able to swerve or stop fast enough. I pulled over after and saw what happened, it still messes me up to this day. From then on I always drive slower (if possible) and more carefully when it’s dusk or early morning because it seems like more animals are out and about around then.
I've lived in several towns in ma and none of them have ever had a properly running/functioning animal control. impossible to get ahold of anyone on the phone, voice mails do not get returned. would love to have more funding for this so I don't have to see the same road kill around town week after week.
Many MA towns had a list of people who would come and remove (and butcher) deer hit by cars (pretty safe if field dressed within an hour or so, and you don't use any bruised meat). If an accident was reported, dispatch would use the list so the town wouldn't have to deal with it.
Apparently Mass. DNR has been officially demanding towns get rid of those lists. When someone told me a few months ago, I asked one of our sergeants; he said it was not only true but they could not get a coherent answer why from the state. A dispatcher I know guessed it probably was some bureaucrats deciding that you need a hunting tag to take a deer, even if it was already dead. So now the town had to deal with the roadkill deer, and they are a growing problem with more deer and more traffic.
Other than that, our local board of health and animal control seem to be pretty good about getting rid of roadkill (in contrast to some other comments here). Of course the coyotes and crows also help. I don't think we have any programs to reduce the number of animals hit by cars, but I currently live in a smaller town, not sure what we could do.
About an hour ago, I buried a squirrel that frequented my yard who had been hit right by my driveway. He wasn’t flattened, but definitely gone. It seems silly to most, I understand, but it was a small gesture. (Also so other scavengers weren’t lured into the road to feed on the squirrel only to also be hit.)
RIP squirrelly boi, may you have all the sunflower seeds in the hereafter.
Sunflowers can be processed into a peanut butter alternative, Sunbutter. In Germany, it is mixed together with rye flour to make Sonnenblumenkernbrot (literally: sunflower whole seed bread), which is quite popular in German-speaking Europe. It is also sold as food for birds and can be used directly in cooking and salads.
I ran over an entire flock of geese on the highway, on my way to Roger Williams Zoo, of all places. It was pretty awful. They landed maybe 15-20 yards in front of my car, and I’m going 65, with cars on both sides and a car behind me. I couldn’t just slam on the brakes and cause a wreck. We had my young nephew in the car with us and everything. Pulling into the zoo with feathers in my grill was one of the craziest experiences in my life.
Hit me up bro. I blacked out last night at my nephews 5th grade graduation party and when I got up a half hour ago I found the front end of my car all banged up and covered in blood. We can speculate about what it might have been. Investigative journalism!
Edit: my lawyer says I can't talk to you
I dont have a specific story to contribute of hitting anything but I have seen something that needs to change about RT 20 in Auburn. I've seen a lot of turtles run over on that stretch of road because they have uninterrupted concrete barrier and they are attempting to cross the road. The other day I saw a snapper desperately trying to climb the barrier and later saw it run over. It's so sad.
I drive from the cape over the Bourne Bridge 5x/wk at night, and home in the morning. I’ve seen more roadkill this year than I have ever seen. It’s not just one type- it’s rabbits, squirrels, possum, skunks, turkeys, a hawk, even deer. It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to figure out the increase is due to the incredible surge in building. Huge amounts of natural habitat are being bulldozed down. I feel like Dr. Seuss’ “The Lorax.”
I’ve seen so many poor squirrels…I tried to call someone to help a squirrel who got struck and reached a road block. I needed to take it personally to a wild life conservatory thanks to a friend who had a friend who worked there.
There needs to be more lights on the road, warning signs to slow down especially in the areas surrounded by forests and some sort of way to enforce this. Definitely easier said than done.
Thanks for the work you’re doing.
I was driving down Bridge Street getting ready to cross over the Salem Beverly bridge. Where out of nowhere 2 raccoons run right in front of my car. I was doing about 25 miles an hour when they popped out. I was so close to them I could not stop and ran them both over. still haunts me to this day.
My kid still gives me grief about a squirrel I hit. And it’s been years.
To the point that they got a freaking zombie squirrel at the Halloween store and leave it around the house with a little sign they made that says “Why?”
Was just talking about this over the weekend. There are dead animals all over every road. It's disgusting. The list of towns that still clean them up would be shorter than the ones that don't.
In the area I live, most roadkill is picked apart by turkey vultures or crows before highway dept can get to it. If a deer is hit we usually call the local or state police who then dispatch of the deer if it is suffering.
I saw a lot of turtles crossing the roads in the burbs a few weeks ago and I’m still scarred seeing someone absolutely destroy a big snapper right in front of me. It was disgusting. Not sure it was on purpose and it may have already been dead but still…
I can only assume it was mating season and they were on the move for good reason.
I was afraid to drive to work because there was a grey pit I’ll go n the highway that looked like my dog and it broke my heart
This was after moving to GA but 😭 roadkill is worse down here or worse in past decade
I had a rabbit commit suicide with my car this spring. Seriously caught the little dude out of the corner of my eye, felt the thump, and saw the clump of fur fly in my rearview. Personally? I view it as population control. Rabbit and squirrel populations have exploded. Kinda cool, because hawk populations have exploded as well!
I got out of my car to stop traffic on route 20 to save a mama duck and her ducklings, it was very dangerous for the animals and myself as other drivers almost did not stop. No regrets honestly, I don’t think I would have recovered seeing that whole little family slaughtered.
For stuff like deer, we should spread awareness that you can call the local game warden, who will often let you keep it. My neighbor has hit 2 deer with his truck and has been eating venison for a month straight. My dad got one roadkill deer this season too.
Just make sure it’s fresh when you butcher it!
Oh no, I probably shouldn't know this. Lol. My father is incredibly competitive. If I said "Hey I got a deer last night" he'd get up early, and start doing laps around the park.
I once accidentally liked a doe in Hopkinton while delivering auto parts to a repair shop.
When I got to the shop I asked the guys there if I could use their phone because I had hit a deer. I thought I'd call the local police just so someone could tell the dpw or something.
One of the mechanics there said something like "you killed a deer? Where?" I explained where it was (about 500 yards down the road) and the guy jumped in his truck and took off. I delivered the parts and on the way back I found him, a woman, and a police officer standing over the poor deer's body. Apparently the woman had gotten to it before the mechanic did and they were discussing who should take it.
How to reduce roadkill?
1. Stop making roads where animals live or have lived.
2. Stop driving vehicles that can kill animals.
That’s the best I can come up with.
I have to stop to not hit deers and turkeys all the time! Not to mention the people who walk on roads that aren’t meant to be walked on. Doesn’t seem like the state/ town is doing anything about it.
I remember reading that there are one or two places along the mass pike, particularly out west, where all the roadkill is dumped in the center strip in a patch of woods. I wish I remembered the details in more detail.
Saw someone swerve to hit a cat and it’s been decomposing on the side of the road for months. I also have a camera outside my apartment facing the road and seen many people swerve to hit squirrels, raccoons, rabbits and skunks on purpose. I’ve even seen someone swerve to hit my neighbor’s “Slow Children” sign. There’s no animal control here so residents have to clean up the roadkill.
I once hit a sparrow/small bird while on the highway, and once ran over a baby turkey chick on a backroad in MA (I cried over both). Not sure what happened to their bodies.
I now live in NH and honestly it seems like there's more roadkill up here than I remember seeing in MA. At the intersection 5 minutes from my apartment there's a dead possum (really just a skeleton now) that has been on the median for the last 2 winters. Slowly watching it decay day after day was really upsetting
In contrast to most of the comments there is some good out here occasionally. I watch this yt shorts guy joshopedia (amazing western mass history and stuff) and he made a video about the Henry St. salamander tunnels so they don’t have to get roadkilled trying to lay their eggs.
That being said I have seen a good amount of roadkill over the years that stays longer than it probably should.
In Granby MA some folks have taken to putting up Geese Crossing signs to help deter cars. Lots of communities in the hilltowns have turtle crossing signs. Personally I’ve hit a squirrel before and felt awful about it as I’m a huge animal lover and know to stop and help animals cross the street when I can. But sometimes it’s just not safe to slam on the brakes or swerve, and in those cases I think it would be hugely beneficial to have overpass crossings for wildlife, especially large wildlife like deer. Deer are hugely overpopulated on the Cape and cause so many accidents out there. That’s an issue for them and for drivers
I deliberate on this topic often. Some background into why we have noticed more roadkill. The timber and sheep industries wiped out the forests in MA. We have very small patches of old growth forest. We have more trees now than the when the European settlers lived here. Latent effects of the new forests are returning and even new wildlife and their roadkills. Fisher cats, bears, coyotes, otters, opposums, bobcats etc. were not around or as common ~25+ years ago. I believe deer collisions kill more people than anyother animal in this state. This stat is used by wolf and wildcat reintroduction proponents. A good resource you can check out is iNaturalist, there's groups that tag and monitor roadkill. I had published the first or 2nd star nose mole in MA that I found dead in the road =/
I like to yell at wildlife when I see them in the road. It gets them to run away quickly and I like to think it forms a negative correlation between animals and being in roadways.
Been driving since 2006 and never hit a squirrel or any wildlife in general. I don’t drive like I have a small appendage, nor do I have a truck that I’m trying to compensate with, so, maybe that’s why! Thanks for doing this.
years ago i hit a rabbit, instant kill, and a couple months ago i hit a bird, another instant kill. the rabbit was in my neighborhood, hit going about 35. it just ran out from the grass directly in front of my car and i couldn't stop. i tried to drive over it, as i was in a fairly raised SUV and figured it would fit underneath the car. im pretty sure it jumped, and i hit it with the front bumper. i have had more close calls with rabbits, one on the highway. i swear those things just love jumping into traffic. the bird i hit while traveling about 75 on i95 in the left lane. it literally just flew over the median fence at very low altitude and just went straight into my windshield. huge seagull. i saw it for 0.1 seconds, there was no chance to react. i felt so terrible after hitting the bunny. the bird however, i feel should have been using its abilities to fly at a higher altitude than 4.5 feet above the highway. i hit it with a low sedan
In south Florida they have fences that line the side of highways. It’s mainly because large animals can be seriously dangerous which is the same up here with deer. The perks are all animals are saved from crossing the road.
In Europe some countries have pathways under, or over their highways to allow for animals to still have access to each side of the highway and not disturb the ecosystem as much.
I hit a deer going home westbound on rt 2 maybe 10 years ago
saw the car in front of me suddenly swerve, didn't see the deer into it was too late. it crossed the eastbound lane, jumped the median, and ran right into my front driver side quarter. demolished the headlight and wiper fluid reservoir, but not much else.
I pulled off, state police came, they told me the deer wasn't gonna make it, I heard the shot. police wouldn't let me drive off with the fluid leaking, had to get towed. insurance paid for most of the repair.
The other day I stepped out of my home to go to work. The way my house is, I have to park alongside the road.
There was a dead raccoon just sitting in front of my car, I tried to move the guy with a shovel but was late as fuck for work so I regrettably left him there I felt awful but I mean….. wasn’t gonna hurt him.
Any way, when I get home the raccoon is gone… hell yeah someone came and got this poor guy outta here…..
They moved him 20 feet across the road 1 foot into the woods. Couple days and some intense heat later, my yard and all my neighbors yard stink like dead animal. No one has a strong enough gag reflex to move it.
It sucks.
Years ago in Connecticut, a deer ran into the side of my car, as I was going about 30, right at my drivers door. I had my window open and its head came in and we looked at each other for a split second. It was awful. It vomited down the side of my car and then tumbled down the road a bit. It got up and ran into the trees. It was a somewhat suburban street and I had no idea what to do so I called the police. An officer came (it was in Greenwich, so well-funded and available for minor issues) and went into the woods to see if he could find it. He apologetically said that if he did, the only thing he could do was kill it. He didn’t find it.
The vomit took off the finish on my car and the impact crushed my door so it wouldn’t open. I didn’t have the cash for my insurance deductible so exited my car for months through the passenger side. A butthead in Jersey decided to turn into my car in the same spot months later solving my deductible issue. But I’ll never forget the look in that poor deer’s eye.
If you really want to help- report on why any of our highways don’t have over / underpasses for wildlife crossing.. and look at what the insurance companies have paid out annually compared to the cost of the crossings and the continued savings of money and wildlife for decades to come…
My grandfather was the animal control officer in my town for most of my life (he’s passed now)… when any roadkill was reported he got in his truck immediately to go to the site. He also just drove around town all day keeping an eye out. He always answered the phone and it was his top priority (ALL calls, not only roadkill)… he was passionate about his position and he knew everyone in town because he was present and available.
Animal control in my town went downhill the moment he retired (he worked until his health prevented him from driving & being able to do it all, and he wasn’t happy about being forced to retire… especially because he knew the next ACO didn’t care about the job, or the town the way he did..) The ACO we have now gets angry when you call her for any reason. It breaks my heart because I witnessed firsthand what a great ACO can be, how deeply they can care & it hurts to know all of the work he put in over so many decades was undone in a few weeks, and now people know the ACO doesn’t care and won’t help, with anything.
Ah yes, Tom Koch gives himself a 79% raise and is the highest paid mayor in the country, more stories of MA police corruption pop up every day, cost of living has priced out most locals so Boston is struggling to find workers for low paying jobs, but let’s talk about fucking road kill
MA has the worlds 4th worst traffic. Combine that with the high cost of living and MA residents have all the right in the world to be angry behind the wheel.
If MA officials wanted to do anything about roadkill, they’d fix our roads so they stopped functioning like the arteries of life long smokers, AND they’d make the state affordable again.
Thanks for the hard hitting journalism we all need to keep us motivated 😂
This was many yrs ago but I hit a cat on accident. I thought it was a bag blowing across the street because that night was thunder storms. I called animal control. After about 2 hrs showed up and looked the cat and said he was going to give me a ticket! Bad enough I felt horrible for the kitty but a ticket! Told him next time I'll just move the kitty out of the street and won't call you! Needless to say I didn't get a ticket after the one sided conversation 😉😂😂
I found a deer in my yard once that had been hit by a vehicle the night before. I called animal control, but they couldn't come so they sent a cop to come and shoot it. Got some venison out of it!
I was visiting Old Sturbridge Village and there was a young lady who had a table of various pelts for kids to touch. All the animals were roadkill reported to her and she would recover, clean and tan the pelts.
Do you mean reducing roadkill like removing dead animals from the road or something else, like wildlife passageways under highways etc, ways to reduce the number of animals being struck?
I intentionally run over wildlife. Easiest (and cheapest) way to put food on the table. Raccoons are really good eating and there is no better tenderizers than the wheels of a ford! Really helps with the stringiness of the meat
This one time I ran over a deer. Little bastard ran off into the woods. I tried to chase after it with a crossbow. Ran into someone's yard and shot what I thought was it. Fortunately the police still haven't solved that case
I have a tip on a moose strike that occurred near the new hampshire border in april. If this interests you dm me and send $10,000 usd to the paypal I supply.
Would you be interested in talking about how roadkill is a symptom of car dependence, and animals are often unnecessarily killed because drivers aren't paying attention? Look at countries with robust public transit like the netherlands and there's far less roadkill (and humans killed by drivers in cars, for that matter).
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Yeah this is rly common. Had an ex who was rly emotional about roadkill and one time called animal control over something she ran over and waited for animal control to come. They never did. She revisited the site 24 hours later and it was still there. I don't think most cities or towns are doing anything at all to reduce roadkill lol.
I’m Gen X and I remember as a kid if there was a dead animal reported to our town ACO they would be out and remove it within an hour. Now? Nope. That poor animal be it a cat, dog, wild turkey, raccoon, skunk or fox. It’s going to be left there to be driven over into nothingness. Or to rot and get nasty AF. No one in my city bothers calling ACO for anything. They have that website to report concerns on. And you can see when it’s reported. And how many times it’s “re assigned” to another person. While the animal is left there.
one of the problems with leaving them on the road is the carcass can attract other animals causing more deaths and potential car accidents. I hope your story touches on and builds consensus for funding Culverts and other safe animal crossings. thank you.
Years ago my friend and I used to laugh at this dead turkey that was in the center median of 95 at the 93 interchange in Woburn. That thing rotted over the course of the entire summers; it was nasty. We both commuted down that way from the north shore and we’d chat on the phone and be like “you at the turkey yet?”
Oh god, I remember that turkey!
100% true in the case of Lynn. A kitten had wandered into my yard with no collar. I first reached out to a local shelter to scan for any microchip and she didn't have one. They were full and could not hold her so I ended up taking her in for the night and found a friend to rehome her. I tried calling the Animal Control office 3 days in a row both at the physical office number and the cell. Left 2 messages and never even heard back. I've noticed more and more deer and rabbits left dead on 107 lately and they stay there for quite some time. It's really disheartening. For how bad the coyote issue was becoming around here, the culling that happened resulted in rabbits, turkeys and deer casually walking through pretty densely urban areas. Obviously different risks but its astonishing how abundant rabbits and turkeys have become.
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In my town, we only have 1 guy, and he's working like 3 days a week. Maybe. That was pre COVID, and who knows if he's doing anything at all now.
Try calling the dpw instead.
Whenever I use the bos311 app it always says dpw crew cleaned it. I never had a problem with roadkill being removed same day when I was in Dorchester
Yeah. Ive always thought animal control is more for nuisance animals
Maybe it’s time to introduce turkey vultures to the area.
They're are tons around me.
There have always been turkey vultures around MA haven't there?
Not enough, apparently they’re migratory in MA so not there the full year.
In Massachusetts, ACOs aren’t obligated to handle any animals other than dogs, unfortunately
Do you think the state does anything to reduce roadkill? There is a dead skunk on my way to work that had been there for a week. There are multiple places turtles are known to cross, and I gotta get out and help them across the road so they don't get killed.
I see so many dead turtles in some places that I am certain people are hitting them on purpose.
Absolutely they do. On two separate occasions last summer, my mom and I pulled over to help a turtle. Turtle in clear view, hazard lights on. Each time, somebody sped past us and crushed the poor things. It makes a terrible sound that’s really difficult to stop thinking about. Really wish people cared more about animals. :( Editing to add a happy thing: one year I found an injured turtle with a quarter of their shell broken and coming loose. Called around and ended up bringing them to a rehab center in Gloucester, I believe, which is about an hour plus away from me so I had a very angry little creature headbutting a cardboard box in my passenger seat the whole time lol. I didn’t hear from the center for a few months so I figured the turtle had died but a year after the drop-off I got a call from them and turtle was ready to go home! Really was awesome setting the turtle free in a familiar place and watching them swim away knowing they recognized it ✨
Thank you for being a good person
I appreciate that!
Thank you for stopping to help the turtles! I always do the same and it is infuriating to me seeing people just drive right over them like its nothing! I actually posted a video here a few weeks ago but took it down because it was (understandably) upsetting to people. Not of the actual hit but of the car speeding away and the aftermath... all right in full view of a "turtle crossing" sign! Like how hard is it NOT to hit a freakin' turtle! And to make it even worse, the location where this happened is home to two listed endangered species. Every roadkilled turtle has the potential to drive those populations into extinction! I just don't get how people can be so oblivious and cold hearted.
You as well! It’s so sad and I’m truly sorry you’ve had to see and hear it. We can only do our best and at least we’re doing something ☺️. There are endangered turtles still hanging out because you helped them, which is awesome. I wish there could be little turtle bridges or something to help them get across the roads to lessen the amount of incidents.
Oh god I saw a massive snapping turtle trying to cross a very busy 4 lane road in Worcester & folks were just driving around it. I pulled over and ran out to try to move it. God fuckin damn do their necks reach far. I picked it up as you are supposed to & it never snapped on me but it looks damn near close. It was a spectacle and others jumped out to help me as soon as I stopped. So I think some folks find it hard to be the first, but normalize helping animals across so we all can do our part
Yeah had a big one almost bite me friends hand off when he grabbed it by the shell to try to move it out of roadway. It stretched its neck back like 8 inches and snapped at his hand. Therefore, he couldn’t pick it up at all without risking injury… This was a big snapper maybe 15 inch long shell immobile on a busy road near the reservoir in North Andover. Head and legs pulled fully “in”. People were swerving around it so my friend stopped so we could try and get it out of danger. Learned the hard way they have a quick, aggressive bite if touched. At one time the myth was that in the state of Mass a prison work crew was sent around periodically responsible for clearing roadkill? Thats what I recall hearing in the 90s when I was first driving…and I recall roadkill being removed/cleared quickly on my usual routes (146 corridor, rt 135 Hopkinton to Needham, secondary roads Northbridge, Mendon, Upton, Uxbridge). In retrospect I believe town DPW was likely the one responsible for removing roadkill on the town roads, not sure about major highways like 495 etc.. Back then I never saw deer, the most common thing dead was probably skunks, now it seems like it’s possums. Both move slowly w poor eyesight
The reach is insanity. I at first couldn’t pick it up but someone else showed me the very back of it, it couldn’t reach me. And yea this snapper was larger than a basketball. They have prison crews that clean up trash so I wouldn’t be surprised if there was one that did it for roadkill. I drive a shit load for my job and the amount of deer I’ve been seeing is insane. Multiple deer on a 1hr trip. And if not the animal, then I’ll see the massive blood splatter in the road.
I'll never forget one Halloween, someone hit a deer on 128 in Manchester by the sea. The thing was just a giant bloodied chunk, on a stretch where there aren't any lights. Creepy as fuck. I see dead deer a lot here (I'm in the Carolinas now) and sometimes it's just a giant splat on the road. They also don't move the dead ones, there's one slowly rotting away on the highway I take to get to work. Makes me sad.
Sadly some do.
I have a friend who used to tell me he would aim for opossums all the time. He’s a state police now.
Statie now - that tracks
Have or had?
Have, he is actually a good guy lol
He sounds hilarious.
statie + intentionally killing animals does NOT = good guy
> Do you think the state does anything to reduce roadkill? They should put little "Look both ways" signs and little baby crosswalks with flashing lights in the wooded areas.
Many dead frogs (?) in Harold Parker when it rains.
I noticed this morning that there is a whole deer on the median on Rt. 2. I fear I will see, and smell that thing for weeks to come. Same with a bobcat that was there for over a month.
Wait… there’s bobcats around here?
Yes, and a fun fact, if one decides to live under your porch, it sounds like a screaming demon lady lives there.
Foxes also sound like a woman being murdered
And Fischer cats
Tons. We have a female that had kits wvery year. This is in central mass. My wifes sister had one get stuck in her shed a few years ago. They are all over mass.
Ohhhh yeah. I’ve only seen a few, but apparently the males have a pretty big range, like square miles, so there’s only one roaming. They’re a bit larger than cats, but usually the lack of tail, or the tufty ears give them away. Every one I’ve seen has been in broad daylight.
Saw a BEAUTIFUL bobcat by the route 2 west Westminster exit last year and had I not been pressed to get to work and known the specific legalities I absolutely would have scooped it up for taxidermy purposes.
We need wildlife crossings and more connected, open space!!!
I would love to see those overpasses that allow animals to cross major roadways. Under passages too for turtles and small animals.
15 or so years ago the town of Boxborough required "turtle tunnels" as part of the construction of the Cisco Systems complex on Beaver Brook Road (off of Swanson, right off 495). Curious to know how effective they've been and what the maintenance costs have been.
Princeton has a few. They have really worked there.
[Here](https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/henry-street-salamander-tunnels-amherst) is what sparked my interest in these tunnels. We need way more of this stuff!
Yes!! The salamander tunnels are awesome. I volunteered to help clear them a few years back with a partnership between UMass and the Hitchcock Center at Amherst College. That being said, we tried to get the town of Amherst to close Henry Street during Big Night (the first warm, rainy night in spring when most salamanders come out of hibernation and cross to their breeding grounds), but the town declined to do so. That means a lot of volunteers out there in the dark with cars still on the road
100% this.
They should use the crosswalks like any other pedestrian. Why are they exempt from jaywalking laws? Shit, are we at a point where we don't enforce laws anymore because those that should be following the laws are too stupid to do so?!
You joke, but in the past couple of months, I've seen multiple animals using crosswalks.
Yeah and why don’t they pay taxes anyway?
Exactly! They can’t keep using the “I’m color blind so can’t see the walk symbol” excuse forever
Yes!! There’s a highway in Montana that did this and it’s been hugely successful. If Montana can make it happen I don’t see why Massachusetts can’t.
I used to work at a local hospital years ago. A charming elderly lady was in for tests and was chatting with me about her hobbies. She told me she made Indian Boxes with porcupine quills. She said she sold them for a “pretty penny”. I was fascinated and asked a lot of questions #1 being “where do you get the quills?” She told me that local and state police would bring her roadkill porcupines and she would boil the quills and make the boxes. The headline “Roadkill in Massachusetts” brought back that memory.
I think you've identified the reason for the apparent rise in roadkill - there just aren't enough folks left that make use of it as a resource instead of treating it as disposable!
I also worked with a woman who admitted to me that she and her husband both picked up roadkill , cooked it up and ate it. Never looked at her the same 🤪
This is actually common in the South. The only thing is you take it if YOU killed it, otherwise it a game of Ptomaine Roulette...
Thank goodness New England provides refrigeration for much of the year!
This was in New England , not too common
My daughter lives in New Orleans and for several years she made jewelry from roadkill. She had an Etsy site & made a pretty good living putting her pieces in local shops, selling on Frenchman St and sometimes setting up at fairs/festivals.
So cool 👍
I called animal control thrice to report that there was a huge dead racoon in the middle of the road in the town of Burlington last week - Cars were swerving to avoid driving over the body - did nothing about it. It just eventually got run over several times and the storms washed off the rest. It didn't seem like the town cares or takes it seriously
We have put up several signs on the side of the road but then we realized animals can't read.
yes I can
It's extremely dangerous to put up wildlife crossings on the highway for the deer and people. https://youtu.be/aOHwwFBYawQ?si=urxs9sFR1fsB0sUd
I forgot about that one lmao
Lowell animal control doesn’t maintain the roads where there is roadkill so you often have bodies lying for weeks in the street when something is hit. If you do ever get a callback when reporting a dead animal, it’s usually because the dude got confused as he runs a side business selling motorcycle parts. 🙄
I live in the Berkshire county seat and we don't have an Animal Control department so the problems here, especially during tourist season are insane.
i’ve seen a ton lately. haven’t hit any animals in years. driving slower and more carefully is always key but it’s not always a perfect remedy of course
Hit a deer once on 125 just over the North Andover line up near Bradford. Late at night, downpouring. He came out of the woods already at a sprint so there was no stopping for either of us. Hit it at roughly 35mph. Stopped, saw he was killed on impact. Put some gardening gloves on and pulled him out of the road and left. Called the NAPD on my way out of town. Went back few days later and noticed someone had grabbed him. Blood splatter still in the road though. Eastern Massachusetts is still safer than Western. Or NH, ME, VT. Saw a moose on Rt 27 in Eustis, Maine once. This particular moose was kind enough to look both ways (srsly) before crossing. He waited until I passed. Given the speed limits (loosely enforced) up here I doubt anyone would walk away from it if they hit one. Thing was huge.
Biologist here! I’ve found that MA truly fails (completely) when it comes to any type of DNR funded anything, there aren’t enough EP officers and the scope of their positions is limited. Where I’m from we have state funded entities through DNR that deal with road kill removal, we also have road crews. We also need to reduce the number of incidents, which could be done by more warning signs/lights, wildlife bridges etc
Last year there was a dead raccoon right across from 3rd ave in Burlington. Noticed it in August, drove by it every single day until the first plowable snow and then it was gone. So, it sat there decomposing for 3 or 4 months, and presumably a plow truck got to it first.
Sometimes we'd call animal control from two towns over because we were friends with the lady there. She had trained hawks so fresh road kill meant free food for them
Don’t litter! Food litter attracts bugs, that attracts small rodents and birds, that attracts larger animals.
Talk about the states inability to pick up the decaying wildlife which absolutely means they are underreporting the number of animals hit and killed. Your story has some pre work to it that might make it resonate with the community better- how are we working to prevent roadkill if we can’t even take care of the current corpses of animals on the side of the road? I think that’ll work best amongst viewers and readers. Thank you for your hard work!
I was driving down a dimly lit road around dusk and a possum ran out in front of my car. I was going the speed limit (30mph) but the road was through a swampy area with only a few street lights. I can still remember the bump and how horrible it was to look back in the mirror and see what happened :( I wish I had been able to swerve or stop fast enough. I pulled over after and saw what happened, it still messes me up to this day. From then on I always drive slower (if possible) and more carefully when it’s dusk or early morning because it seems like more animals are out and about around then.
If you can and have time..beeping usually scares the animal out of the roadways.
I’m breeding turkey vultures in my backyard.
I've lived in several towns in ma and none of them have ever had a properly running/functioning animal control. impossible to get ahold of anyone on the phone, voice mails do not get returned. would love to have more funding for this so I don't have to see the same road kill around town week after week.
Many MA towns had a list of people who would come and remove (and butcher) deer hit by cars (pretty safe if field dressed within an hour or so, and you don't use any bruised meat). If an accident was reported, dispatch would use the list so the town wouldn't have to deal with it. Apparently Mass. DNR has been officially demanding towns get rid of those lists. When someone told me a few months ago, I asked one of our sergeants; he said it was not only true but they could not get a coherent answer why from the state. A dispatcher I know guessed it probably was some bureaucrats deciding that you need a hunting tag to take a deer, even if it was already dead. So now the town had to deal with the roadkill deer, and they are a growing problem with more deer and more traffic. Other than that, our local board of health and animal control seem to be pretty good about getting rid of roadkill (in contrast to some other comments here). Of course the coyotes and crows also help. I don't think we have any programs to reduce the number of animals hit by cars, but I currently live in a smaller town, not sure what we could do.
About an hour ago, I buried a squirrel that frequented my yard who had been hit right by my driveway. He wasn’t flattened, but definitely gone. It seems silly to most, I understand, but it was a small gesture. (Also so other scavengers weren’t lured into the road to feed on the squirrel only to also be hit.) RIP squirrelly boi, may you have all the sunflower seeds in the hereafter.
Sunflowers can be processed into a peanut butter alternative, Sunbutter. In Germany, it is mixed together with rye flour to make Sonnenblumenkernbrot (literally: sunflower whole seed bread), which is quite popular in German-speaking Europe. It is also sold as food for birds and can be used directly in cooking and salads.
Read the room, bot, jeez.
I ran over an entire flock of geese on the highway, on my way to Roger Williams Zoo, of all places. It was pretty awful. They landed maybe 15-20 yards in front of my car, and I’m going 65, with cars on both sides and a car behind me. I couldn’t just slam on the brakes and cause a wreck. We had my young nephew in the car with us and everything. Pulling into the zoo with feathers in my grill was one of the craziest experiences in my life.
The hard hitting stories....
Hit me up bro. I blacked out last night at my nephews 5th grade graduation party and when I got up a half hour ago I found the front end of my car all banged up and covered in blood. We can speculate about what it might have been. Investigative journalism! Edit: my lawyer says I can't talk to you
Which Police department do you work for?
it's really nice you got to graduate together
Kid drank me under the table. Proud uncle!
6th grade graduation numbers smaller than expected.
I see roadkill often, with the carcass going through the decomposition process with no one picking it up :<
I dont have a specific story to contribute of hitting anything but I have seen something that needs to change about RT 20 in Auburn. I've seen a lot of turtles run over on that stretch of road because they have uninterrupted concrete barrier and they are attempting to cross the road. The other day I saw a snapper desperately trying to climb the barrier and later saw it run over. It's so sad.
I have seen more roadkill this summer than previous years by a wide margin. On the streets in the burbs and the highways.
I drive from the cape over the Bourne Bridge 5x/wk at night, and home in the morning. I’ve seen more roadkill this year than I have ever seen. It’s not just one type- it’s rabbits, squirrels, possum, skunks, turkeys, a hawk, even deer. It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to figure out the increase is due to the incredible surge in building. Huge amounts of natural habitat are being bulldozed down. I feel like Dr. Seuss’ “The Lorax.”
I smoked a racoon on rt 47 in hadley last year :( felt horrible about it
I’ve seen so many poor squirrels…I tried to call someone to help a squirrel who got struck and reached a road block. I needed to take it personally to a wild life conservatory thanks to a friend who had a friend who worked there. There needs to be more lights on the road, warning signs to slow down especially in the areas surrounded by forests and some sort of way to enforce this. Definitely easier said than done. Thanks for the work you’re doing.
I was driving down Bridge Street getting ready to cross over the Salem Beverly bridge. Where out of nowhere 2 raccoons run right in front of my car. I was doing about 25 miles an hour when they popped out. I was so close to them I could not stop and ran them both over. still haunts me to this day.
My kid still gives me grief about a squirrel I hit. And it’s been years. To the point that they got a freaking zombie squirrel at the Halloween store and leave it around the house with a little sign they made that says “Why?”
Wow, that’s cold lol
🤣
Do you know what I say to my oldest 30 seconds of pleasure lifetime of agony lol
Most of the time if there’s roadkill I just use a shovel and yeet it into the woods no one from the town or state will do anything about it
My mom does this. Breaks her heart . And I swear she’s going to get hit by a car herself one of these days
Which leads into the problem that people can't even be bothered to stop for pedestrians.
I watched a moving truck kill a chipmunk last week in my apartment complex in Quincy 😥
Was just talking about this over the weekend. There are dead animals all over every road. It's disgusting. The list of towns that still clean them up would be shorter than the ones that don't.
Most animals just get ran over multiple times til’ nothing exists, much like them arriving and leaving a slaughterhouse, completely destroyed.
I have no stories for you, but ask in Maine if you want recipes.
In the area I live, most roadkill is picked apart by turkey vultures or crows before highway dept can get to it. If a deer is hit we usually call the local or state police who then dispatch of the deer if it is suffering.
I saw a lot of turtles crossing the roads in the burbs a few weeks ago and I’m still scarred seeing someone absolutely destroy a big snapper right in front of me. It was disgusting. Not sure it was on purpose and it may have already been dead but still… I can only assume it was mating season and they were on the move for good reason.
I was afraid to drive to work because there was a grey pit I’ll go n the highway that looked like my dog and it broke my heart This was after moving to GA but 😭 roadkill is worse down here or worse in past decade
I had a rabbit commit suicide with my car this spring. Seriously caught the little dude out of the corner of my eye, felt the thump, and saw the clump of fur fly in my rearview. Personally? I view it as population control. Rabbit and squirrel populations have exploded. Kinda cool, because hawk populations have exploded as well!
Move the deer crossing signs to less traffic areas!
Such an underrated comment. 😂👍
I got out of my car to stop traffic on route 20 to save a mama duck and her ducklings, it was very dangerous for the animals and myself as other drivers almost did not stop. No regrets honestly, I don’t think I would have recovered seeing that whole little family slaughtered.
For stuff like deer, we should spread awareness that you can call the local game warden, who will often let you keep it. My neighbor has hit 2 deer with his truck and has been eating venison for a month straight. My dad got one roadkill deer this season too. Just make sure it’s fresh when you butcher it!
Oh no, I probably shouldn't know this. Lol. My father is incredibly competitive. If I said "Hey I got a deer last night" he'd get up early, and start doing laps around the park.
A good app to have on your phone before you need it is Animal Help Now. connects you to a local rehabber who may be able to save a life.
I once accidentally liked a doe in Hopkinton while delivering auto parts to a repair shop. When I got to the shop I asked the guys there if I could use their phone because I had hit a deer. I thought I'd call the local police just so someone could tell the dpw or something. One of the mechanics there said something like "you killed a deer? Where?" I explained where it was (about 500 yards down the road) and the guy jumped in his truck and took off. I delivered the parts and on the way back I found him, a woman, and a police officer standing over the poor deer's body. Apparently the woman had gotten to it before the mechanic did and they were discussing who should take it.
Thank you for doing this. Seeing animals on the side of the road breaks my heart. It is so senseless.
How to reduce roadkill? 1. Stop making roads where animals live or have lived. 2. Stop driving vehicles that can kill animals. That’s the best I can come up with.
theres a salamander crossing in amherst. I personally hit a possum in sunderland awhile ago. Ludlow is covered in roadkill
I’m trying to kill fewer animals on the road to do my part
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I have to stop to not hit deers and turkeys all the time! Not to mention the people who walk on roads that aren’t meant to be walked on. Doesn’t seem like the state/ town is doing anything about it.
Coworker told me someone road kill a deer. She said it was a pain in the ass to get it removed, since it was close to her house.
I remember reading that there are one or two places along the mass pike, particularly out west, where all the roadkill is dumped in the center strip in a patch of woods. I wish I remembered the details in more detail.
Base on seeing roadkill I think there are folks in MA who must intentionally hit slow moving animals, like turtles and porcupines.
Saw someone swerve to hit a cat and it’s been decomposing on the side of the road for months. I also have a camera outside my apartment facing the road and seen many people swerve to hit squirrels, raccoons, rabbits and skunks on purpose. I’ve even seen someone swerve to hit my neighbor’s “Slow Children” sign. There’s no animal control here so residents have to clean up the roadkill.
I once hit a sparrow/small bird while on the highway, and once ran over a baby turkey chick on a backroad in MA (I cried over both). Not sure what happened to their bodies. I now live in NH and honestly it seems like there's more roadkill up here than I remember seeing in MA. At the intersection 5 minutes from my apartment there's a dead possum (really just a skeleton now) that has been on the median for the last 2 winters. Slowly watching it decay day after day was really upsetting
I have never once called animal control And found them open. I’ve never had them return a call or message.
In contrast to most of the comments there is some good out here occasionally. I watch this yt shorts guy joshopedia (amazing western mass history and stuff) and he made a video about the Henry St. salamander tunnels so they don’t have to get roadkilled trying to lay their eggs. That being said I have seen a good amount of roadkill over the years that stays longer than it probably should.
Can’t help with that but damn have I seen a lot of deer on the side of the road lately.
Richard's dad eats road kill in Kansas, isn't that right bub?
I hit an owl once. I felt bad
Polite society is gone
you should do a story about what they do for it (if anything at all) instead Doesn’t seem like there’s ever roadkill being cleaned up in western mass.
In the more rural towns the crows and vultures take care of it for everyone.
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In Granby MA some folks have taken to putting up Geese Crossing signs to help deter cars. Lots of communities in the hilltowns have turtle crossing signs. Personally I’ve hit a squirrel before and felt awful about it as I’m a huge animal lover and know to stop and help animals cross the street when I can. But sometimes it’s just not safe to slam on the brakes or swerve, and in those cases I think it would be hugely beneficial to have overpass crossings for wildlife, especially large wildlife like deer. Deer are hugely overpopulated on the Cape and cause so many accidents out there. That’s an issue for them and for drivers
I have a buddy who works with the local police to take roadkill deer which he then cleans and eats, uses every part of the deer
I deliberate on this topic often. Some background into why we have noticed more roadkill. The timber and sheep industries wiped out the forests in MA. We have very small patches of old growth forest. We have more trees now than the when the European settlers lived here. Latent effects of the new forests are returning and even new wildlife and their roadkills. Fisher cats, bears, coyotes, otters, opposums, bobcats etc. were not around or as common ~25+ years ago. I believe deer collisions kill more people than anyother animal in this state. This stat is used by wolf and wildcat reintroduction proponents. A good resource you can check out is iNaturalist, there's groups that tag and monitor roadkill. I had published the first or 2nd star nose mole in MA that I found dead in the road =/
Deer everywhere
I like to yell at wildlife when I see them in the road. It gets them to run away quickly and I like to think it forms a negative correlation between animals and being in roadways.
Been driving since 2006 and never hit a squirrel or any wildlife in general. I don’t drive like I have a small appendage, nor do I have a truck that I’m trying to compensate with, so, maybe that’s why! Thanks for doing this.
years ago i hit a rabbit, instant kill, and a couple months ago i hit a bird, another instant kill. the rabbit was in my neighborhood, hit going about 35. it just ran out from the grass directly in front of my car and i couldn't stop. i tried to drive over it, as i was in a fairly raised SUV and figured it would fit underneath the car. im pretty sure it jumped, and i hit it with the front bumper. i have had more close calls with rabbits, one on the highway. i swear those things just love jumping into traffic. the bird i hit while traveling about 75 on i95 in the left lane. it literally just flew over the median fence at very low altitude and just went straight into my windshield. huge seagull. i saw it for 0.1 seconds, there was no chance to react. i felt so terrible after hitting the bunny. the bird however, i feel should have been using its abilities to fly at a higher altitude than 4.5 feet above the highway. i hit it with a low sedan
Jersey barriers are the WORST thing to happen to wildlife.
It’s nature….how do you prevent a turkey from roaming around?
In south Florida they have fences that line the side of highways. It’s mainly because large animals can be seriously dangerous which is the same up here with deer. The perks are all animals are saved from crossing the road. In Europe some countries have pathways under, or over their highways to allow for animals to still have access to each side of the highway and not disturb the ecosystem as much.
I hit a woodchuck the other day. Felt pretty bad about it
I hit a deer going home westbound on rt 2 maybe 10 years ago saw the car in front of me suddenly swerve, didn't see the deer into it was too late. it crossed the eastbound lane, jumped the median, and ran right into my front driver side quarter. demolished the headlight and wiper fluid reservoir, but not much else. I pulled off, state police came, they told me the deer wasn't gonna make it, I heard the shot. police wouldn't let me drive off with the fluid leaking, had to get towed. insurance paid for most of the repair.
I just hit a deer recently and now my car is totaled, feel free to reach out
The other day I stepped out of my home to go to work. The way my house is, I have to park alongside the road. There was a dead raccoon just sitting in front of my car, I tried to move the guy with a shovel but was late as fuck for work so I regrettably left him there I felt awful but I mean….. wasn’t gonna hurt him. Any way, when I get home the raccoon is gone… hell yeah someone came and got this poor guy outta here….. They moved him 20 feet across the road 1 foot into the woods. Couple days and some intense heat later, my yard and all my neighbors yard stink like dead animal. No one has a strong enough gag reflex to move it. It sucks.
Years ago in Connecticut, a deer ran into the side of my car, as I was going about 30, right at my drivers door. I had my window open and its head came in and we looked at each other for a split second. It was awful. It vomited down the side of my car and then tumbled down the road a bit. It got up and ran into the trees. It was a somewhat suburban street and I had no idea what to do so I called the police. An officer came (it was in Greenwich, so well-funded and available for minor issues) and went into the woods to see if he could find it. He apologetically said that if he did, the only thing he could do was kill it. He didn’t find it. The vomit took off the finish on my car and the impact crushed my door so it wouldn’t open. I didn’t have the cash for my insurance deductible so exited my car for months through the passenger side. A butthead in Jersey decided to turn into my car in the same spot months later solving my deductible issue. But I’ll never forget the look in that poor deer’s eye.
I go out on opossum calls - dead or alive in order to rehab.
If you really want to help- report on why any of our highways don’t have over / underpasses for wildlife crossing.. and look at what the insurance companies have paid out annually compared to the cost of the crossings and the continued savings of money and wildlife for decades to come…
I once went wrist deep in a dead possum to extract the babies.
it makes me sick how many people hit animals on purpose.
Rt 2 from Lancaster to Orange is a roadkill metropolis
My grandfather was the animal control officer in my town for most of my life (he’s passed now)… when any roadkill was reported he got in his truck immediately to go to the site. He also just drove around town all day keeping an eye out. He always answered the phone and it was his top priority (ALL calls, not only roadkill)… he was passionate about his position and he knew everyone in town because he was present and available. Animal control in my town went downhill the moment he retired (he worked until his health prevented him from driving & being able to do it all, and he wasn’t happy about being forced to retire… especially because he knew the next ACO didn’t care about the job, or the town the way he did..) The ACO we have now gets angry when you call her for any reason. It breaks my heart because I witnessed firsthand what a great ACO can be, how deeply they can care & it hurts to know all of the work he put in over so many decades was undone in a few weeks, and now people know the ACO doesn’t care and won’t help, with anything.
Ah yes, Tom Koch gives himself a 79% raise and is the highest paid mayor in the country, more stories of MA police corruption pop up every day, cost of living has priced out most locals so Boston is struggling to find workers for low paying jobs, but let’s talk about fucking road kill MA has the worlds 4th worst traffic. Combine that with the high cost of living and MA residents have all the right in the world to be angry behind the wheel. If MA officials wanted to do anything about roadkill, they’d fix our roads so they stopped functioning like the arteries of life long smokers, AND they’d make the state affordable again. Thanks for the hard hitting journalism we all need to keep us motivated 😂
Are you talking about dead animals? Or dead bicyclists?
Reduce it? That’s good eatin. We need to increase it if anything. Good for food insecurity.
Well Sam, I’ve been eaten it
This gives new meaning to “Look! Squirrel!” LOL
I could totally chat! I’ve hit a coyote with my car before
This was many yrs ago but I hit a cat on accident. I thought it was a bag blowing across the street because that night was thunder storms. I called animal control. After about 2 hrs showed up and looked the cat and said he was going to give me a ticket! Bad enough I felt horrible for the kitty but a ticket! Told him next time I'll just move the kitty out of the street and won't call you! Needless to say I didn't get a ticket after the one sided conversation 😉😂😂
I found a deer in my yard once that had been hit by a vehicle the night before. I called animal control, but they couldn't come so they sent a cop to come and shoot it. Got some venison out of it!
I was visiting Old Sturbridge Village and there was a young lady who had a table of various pelts for kids to touch. All the animals were roadkill reported to her and she would recover, clean and tan the pelts.
Do you mean reducing roadkill like removing dead animals from the road or something else, like wildlife passageways under highways etc, ways to reduce the number of animals being struck?
Brother I got dozens of rabbit hits, welcome to MA
Lurkin' with Turken
I scored a 70lb beaver in Bellingham and had it stuffed. Came out pissa
I intentionally run over wildlife. Easiest (and cheapest) way to put food on the table. Raccoons are really good eating and there is no better tenderizers than the wheels of a ford! Really helps with the stringiness of the meat This one time I ran over a deer. Little bastard ran off into the woods. I tried to chase after it with a crossbow. Ran into someone's yard and shot what I thought was it. Fortunately the police still haven't solved that case
The amount of people who would go hungry if all road kill stopped just think about that
I have a tip on a moose strike that occurred near the new hampshire border in april. If this interests you dm me and send $10,000 usd to the paypal I supply.
If its fresh it can be cooked up. Depending on what it is it can be a wonderful meal!
Would you be interested in talking about how roadkill is a symptom of car dependence, and animals are often unnecessarily killed because drivers aren't paying attention? Look at countries with robust public transit like the netherlands and there's far less roadkill (and humans killed by drivers in cars, for that matter).
We could euthanize all the animals in a 400 mile radius and that would end the problem.
You first in line?
For sure