Roadkill is an animal or animals that have been hit and killed by a motor vehicle. Many animals and pets are killed each year. When the animals lay on the side of the road, it is considered a form of road pollution. It is up to the state troopers and department of transportation to remove roadkill from streets. Roadkill can be eaten and it is said that there are many roadkill recipe books.
Schools from all around did a study on about 2,000 animals that were roadkill. 81% of deaths were mammals. The following shows how many mammals are killed each year:
- 4.1 million squirrels
- 26 million cats
- 22 million rats
- 19 million opossum
- 15 million raccoons
- 6 million dogs
- 350,000 deer
Accidents with animals can increase the chance of endangered species to become extinct, death of people, and pets. Most accidents happen at night because many animals are nocturnal. The glare of bright lights tend to make animals freeze rather than run away. The best way to reduce chances of hitting animals is to drive a little bit slower at night and scan both sides of the road while driving. Some places in the United States, Canada, and Europe have these things called wildlife crossings. They are tunnels under or over roads that animals can travel through to avoid going on roads.
You should be aware of animal crossing signs in wooded areas.
“Roadkill.” Wikipedia. N.p., 3 Jan. 2011. Web. 4 Jan. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roadkill>.
Who on earth would want to eat something like roadkill???
ReplyDeleteThat is interesting 6 million dogs wow they are stupider then we think
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