Road Kill

Aurora Borealis

Is it just me or the roads I use or is there an increasing number of road kill on Irish roads? Came across a dead fox this morning and it depressed the life out of me.
Would you stop if you knowingly hit an animal on the road?

Wazdakka

Aurora Borealis wrote: »

Would you stop if you knowingly hit an animal on the road?

Depends on the animal and the road..

I would probably stop if i squished some little puppies brains out his ears in a housing estate or on a quiet road,
But I'm not going to stop if I splatter a fox on the N11 or anything..

I mean, why bother?

Steve_o

Depends what road and how hard i hit it... If i smack a cat at 120kph on the M7 then no i wont stop, if i tip one on a country road then yea, i'd get out to see if it was alright!

Edit: Ooops, was too slow so basically the same as Wazdakka....

dr.bollocko

Yeah what are you gonna do? Give it a decent burial?
Its much worse in Australia. Kangaroo carcasses litter the main roads.

Wazdakka

dr.bollocko wrote: »

Kangaroo carcasses litter the main roads.

SKIPPY NOOO!!!!

:eek:

Steve_o

dr.bollocko wrote: »

Kangaroo carcasses litter the main roads.

I guess the car got the jump on him.:pac:

Anybody??


I'll get me coat

dr.bollocko

Steve_o wrote: »

I guess the car got the jump on him.:pac:

Anybody??


I'll get me coat

Oh that's rough.
What's the rarest roadkill though?
Too often I see a little kitty, generally with it's eye resting somewhere on it's chest. That's a hard one to take in.

Steve_o

dr.bollocko wrote: »

Oh that's rough.
What's the rarest roadkill though?
Too often I see a little kitty, generally with it's eye resting somewhere on it's chest. That's a hard one to take in.

I saw a fully grown stag with perfect antlers dead on a road once after an encounter with a jeep... It was sad seeing something so powerful and proud like a stag dead on the road!

javaboy

Steve_o wrote: »

I guess the car got the jump on him.:pac:

Anybody??


I'll get me coat

Room for improvement on that one.

I've never hit an animal yet which is good going considering the menagerie I pass every day. Foxes, rabbits, dogs, pheasants, cats, rats and the odd badger.

I think legally you have to report hitting a dog to the Gardai. I'm not sure where I heard this though.

stovelid

Steve_o wrote: »

I saw a fully grown stag with perfect antlers dead on a road once after an encounter with a jeep... It was sad seeing something so powerful and prooud like a stag dead on the road!

Guy driving in front of me hit a deer in the Phoneix Park once. His car was in bits. The deer too, obviously.

*Kol*

I would stop to check if there was any damage to the car. Some animals could do a lot of damage.

boogle

It makes me really sad when I see dead animals on the road, it doesn't matter what type. Passed a dead hedgehog this morning and felt bad. The only animal I've ever hit was a pigeon. Felt terrible. My sister-in-law hit a tiny kitten a month ago, absolutely smashed it's leg up, bones sticking out and everything. Well she felt awful as the kitten was still alive, so I went with her to the vet and she paid E25 to have it put down and cremated. The vet said that apparently cats can survive trauma a really long time, and that kitten could have lain in that ditch for two days before it died.

So yeah, if I hit something I'd stop to check. If you mangle an animal and it's still alive, you should put it out of its misery, or pay to have it done.

Wazdakka

*Kol* wrote: »

I would stop to check if there was any damage to the car. Some animals could do a lot of damage.

Yea I Absolutely milled into this five year old kid
a Fox once, little bugger came out of nowhere. Luckily Saabs are built like tanks.. Still shattered my reg plate..

Fox.. yea.. thats it


>.>

<.<

Steve_o

Wazdakka wrote: »

Yea I Absolutely milled into this five year old kid
a Fox once, little bugger came out of nowhere. Luckily Saabs are built like tanks.. Still shattered my reg plate..

Fox.. yea.. thats it


>.>

<.<

Heheh, Lionel Hutz comes to mind... "I ran over his dog once, actually replace dog with son and once with repeatidly"... lol

Mr. Presentable

Country must be rotten with badgers - I seem to see a couple every time I go on a long spin.

spank_inferno

The amount of roadkill seems to spike with their mating seasons as they roam further lookin for some lovin'

More concrete road medians make it harder for animals too
Eg: Glen o'Downs in wicklow, large woodland area intersected by concrete divided road. If it were those wire rope fencing in the middle badgers and hedgehogs could get through at least.

stovelid

spank_inferno wrote: »

The amount of roadkill seems to spike with their mating seasons as they roam further lookin for some lovin'
.

Hopefully we might start to see human road-kill outside Coppers and Flannerys, so.

dr.bollocko

stovelid wrote: »

Hopefully we might start to see human road-kill outside Coppers and Flannerys, so.

You know if they are still twitching that counts as consent.

Black Swan

Aurora Borealis wrote: »

Came across a dead fox this morning and it depressed the life out of me.

Me too! I just love Foxes!

beerbaron

spank_inferno wrote: »

The amount of roadkill seems to spike with their mating seasons as they roam further lookin for some lovin'

More concrete road medians make it harder for animals too
Eg: Glen o'Downs in wicklow, large woodland area intersected by concrete divided road. If it were those wire rope fencing in the middle badgers and hedgehogs could get through.

Or an underpass at least.

Clare Bear

Yeah seeing a lot more lately. I always feel sad seeing them, no matter what animal it is. And loads more crows recently, must be some big crow suicide pact going on. The only thing I've ever hit was a badger but he was actually fine, made such a bang that I thought he was well squashed and the car was in bits but he ran off in to a field and looked fine. Little dent to my car though. Badgers are strong. I hope to God I never hit a dog or cat, I'd feel awful

The \/\/anderer

Steve_o wrote: »

Heheh, Lionel Hutz comes to mind... "I ran over his dog once, actually replace dog with son and once with repeatidly"... lol

pfft. Nothing worse than a mis-quoted simpsons quote.

I think you meant:

Hutz: Now don't you worry, Mrs. Simpson, I - uh-oh. We've drawn Judge Snyder.
Marge: Is that bad?
Hutz: Well, he's kind of had it in for me, since I accidently ran over his dog. Actually, replace `accidently' with `repeatedly', and replace `dog' with `son'.

javaboy

The \/\/anderer wrote: »

pfft. Nothing worse than a mis-quoted simpsons quote.

I think you meant:

Your version is also incorrect. Tut tut. Pedantry only works if you get it right.

The \/\/anderer

go on so....

Honey-ec

I've definitely noticed a big increase in roadkill this year compared to previous summers, and I agree, it can be very depressing/upsetting, particularly if it's something that you wouldn't see around a lot, like a deer or badger.

Thankfully, I've never run over anything, but sparrows have flown into my windscreen on two separate occasions.

Actually no wait, I have run over something, but on purpose - a blackbird flew under the van directly in front of me a few months back and got spat out the back of it, pretty mangled but still flopping about on the road. I ran over him on purpose to put him out of his misery.

Factoid: If you hit a deer in the Phoenix Park, you've to pay compensation to the State.

javaboy

The \/\/anderer wrote: »

go on so....

And feed myself to the pedants? I don't think so. I prefer to smugly stand back and poke fun without actually putting my own credibility on the line.

Rayven199

I hate road kill!! It makes me sick every time I see it
I would probably cry If I hit something (involuntary reaction!) but I love animals so hate seeing them dead.
Haven’t hit anything yet, but I think it happens to everyone!

Oh and if you hit a dog, apparently you are required by law to stop as it is a licensed animal!

The \/\/anderer

I'll leave this one be for fear of going too far off topic (I verified that quote on 2 different websites!! But i did have a feeling the real quote was a bit different)


On topic, the only thing i've ever hit with my car was a seagull. Flew straight into my windscreen. I think he was ok though! So was my windscreen :-)

MOH

dr.bollocko wrote: »

Oh that's rough.
What's the rarest roadkill though?
Too often I see a little kitty, generally with it's eye resting somewhere on it's chest. That's a hard one to take in.

Try more lubricant.



I've definitely noticed over the last few weeks that on any trip I'm out on a country road, there's going to be at least 3 instances of roadkill for any 15 minute journey.

minxie

MOH wrote: »

Try more lubricant.



I've definitely noticed over the last few weeks that on any trip I'm out on a country road, there's going to be at least 3 instances of roadkill for any 15 minute journey.

badgers and foxes being top takers....:(
did run over a dog once ... he lived:)

Aurora Borealis

Aurora Borealis wrote: »

Came across a dead fox this morning.

Pervert :mad:

boogle wrote: »

So yeah, if I hit something I'd stop to check. If you mangle an animal and it's still alive, you should put it out of its misery, or pay to have it done.

That's why i carry a baseball bat in the boot. Although, i broke my last one and had to improvise while i waited for a new one to be posted over from the states. Hit a dog while the bat was in the post. Had to make do with a snooker ball in a sock.

Splinter

nearly hit a hedgehog last week, missed him though thank god. worst one i seen was a pony fell out of a horsebox while travelling on a bag road and a transit van hit him was very very sad.

Sean Quagmire

i hit a cow once - had to do the honourable thing

LouOB

Aurora Borealis wrote: »

Is it just me or the roads I use or is there an increasing number of road kill on Irish roads? Came across a dead fox this morning and it depressed the life out of me.
Would you stop if you knowingly hit an animal on the road?

so you had to chance to bring dead fox home and make a loverly coat for this missus. But decided to pass up the chance

shame:P

Fighting Irish

The only thing i would stop for are humans, nothing else, not even dogs(unless they ****ed up my car) its a tad bad i know, but wtf is stopping gonna do?

spank_inferno

Fighting Irish wrote: »

The only thing i would stop for are humans, nothing else, not even dogs(unless they ****ed up my car) its a tad bad i know, but wtf is stopping gonna do?

Eh... well even if you didnt hit the animal it could still have a heart attack from the shock of the near miss.
This is why all motorists should learn CPR!

So if anyone comes across me at the side of the road lips locked on a badger its not because I want to... its because I have to! :pac:

kerash

Aurora Borealis wrote: »

Is it just me or the roads I use or is there an increasing number of road kill on Irish roads? Came across a dead fox this morning and it depressed the life out of me.
Would you stop if you knowingly hit an animal on the road?

oh yeah, straight into the pot, nom nom:)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2006/jan/31/foodanddrink.britishidentity

For most, a squashed hedgehog or flattened badger lying on the side of the road is a tragic sight - for Arthur Boyt it is an opportunity for a free, tasty and nutritious meal. Mr Boyt has spent the last 50 years scraping carcasses from the side of the road and chucking them, together with a few herbs and spices, into his cooking pot.The retired civil servant has sampled the delights of weasel, rat and cat. His most unusual meal was a greater horseshoe bat, which he reckons is not dissimilar in taste to grey squirrel, if the comparison helps. Fox tends to repeat on him. He has tucked into labrador, nibbled at otter and could not resist trying porcupine when he came across a spiky corpse while on holiday in Canada.

BroomBurner

Fighting Irish wrote: »

The only thing i would stop for are humans, nothing else, not even dogs(unless they ****ed up my car) its a tad bad i know, but wtf is stopping gonna do?

Don't think you're allowed to stop for animals, unless it's totally safe.

Ahhh, road kill, is there any tastier meat?

Honey-ec

Fighting Irish wrote: »

The only thing i would stop for are humans, nothing else, not even dogs(unless they ****ed up my car) its a tad bad i know, but wtf is stopping gonna do?

Afford you the opportunity to make sure they not lying at the side of the road in agony, but not quite dead???

doctor evil

splinter wrote: »

nearly hit a hedgehog last week, missed him though thank god. worst one i seen was a pony fell out of a horsebox while travelling on a bag road and a transit van hit him was very very sad.

Christ how could a pony fall out of a horsebox?

mumhaabu

OH Roadkill I have done quite a bit in my time and once damaged a car, I brake for no animal except those that may damage my car.

I regularly aim for rats and have killed a good share, I have also ran over at least three foxes this year twice intentionally and nearly drove into a ditch because of it. I hate Foxes and and have run over three this year.:D

I spent some time on a farm as a child and after hand rearing lovely innocent pet lambs to find them dead after a fox killing them means I will never ever avoid killing them if possible. Cruel maybe but the Fox is a born killer and not native to Ireland the danes introduced them here to interupt the Irish eco system. I take pity on the Badger but if he is in my way I drive straight on, I ran over a Hare once and felt pretty bad as Hares are so magestic.

sunny2004

mumhaabu wrote: »

I regularly aim for rats and have killed a good share, I have also ran over at least three foxes this year twice intentionally and nearly drove into a ditch because of it. I hate Foxes and and have run over three this year.:D.

I think you will find thats dangerous driving !

mumhaabu

sunny2004 wrote: »

I think you will find thats dangerous driving !

Indeed it is, although I'm sure it is forgiveable considering it was at 2 O Clock in the morning in a rugged 4x4 I use for when in the more remote parts of the province.

javaboy

mumhaabu wrote: »

I spent some time on a farm as a child and after hand rearing lovely innocent pet lambs to find them dead after a fox killing them means I will never ever avoid killing them if possible. Cruel maybe but the Fox is a born killer and not native to Ireland the danes introduced them here to interupt the Irish eco system. I take pity on the Badger but if he is in my way I drive straight on, I ran over a Hare once and felt pretty bad as Hares are so magestic.

I hope your sheep are one of the very few native breeds.

Red Hand

mumhaabu wrote: »

I spent some time on a farm as a child and after hand rearing lovely innocent pet lambs to find them dead after a fox killing them means I will never ever avoid killing them if possible. Cruel maybe but the Fox is a born killer and not native to Ireland the danes introduced them here to interupt the Irish eco system. I take pity on the Badger but if he is in my way I drive straight on, I ran over a Hare once and felt pretty bad as Hares are so magestic.

Sheep have been bred to flock together and to be stupid and pliable. "Pet lambs"? Jeeeeeeeeez. Lambs belong in either my stomach or failing that, a Fox's.

Pet lambs. I've heard it all now.

It wasn't me!

Went through a spate recently where suicidal critters were just throwing themselves under my car; it was bizarre. In one morning, coming home from Dublin after a night out, five o'clock, I accounted for two birds and a rabbit in the one journey, none on purpose. The feckin' rabbit was standing at the other side of the road with that stupid "sure, will I just go for it sure?" look common to rabbits and so many denizens of Blessington. *THUMP* Little bugger should have stayed where he was it seems. Also, another morning heading to work, I got great amusement watching a magpie flying lazily across a field, straight in front of me as if it never saw me, *THUMP* off the front bumper, puff of feathers. Broke that seven AM boredom anyway. Was in a car with a mate when a deer jumped the hedge and landed in front of it too, sika calf, small deer, but made shíte of the car. None of my tally have left any more significant imprint on my car than a few black and white feathers in the radiator grille, but that cost him two grand in repairs, very nearly a write-off. Only regret is not having $hifty's weapon of choice handy. Nothing nicer than venison calf.

Jesus Wept

I see a gap in the market - a Roadkill Restaurant in Ireland.
Recession proof.

Red Hand

The-Rigger wrote: »

I see a gap in the market - a Roadkill Restaurant in Ireland.
Recession proof.

Well, if the recession gets worse, you'll get a load of vagrants walking the roads. I was thinking of a number of cheap dishes:

Vagrant Vol aux Vonts

Hobo Hotpot

Tramp T-bone

Jesus Wept

There may possibly be legal issues with that.
Maybe not though.

Red Hand

No, vagrants and tramps are legally recognised as being "Free Range".

So, theres no need to worry about damaging your organic credentials.:)

Ricky91t

doctor evil wrote: »

Christ how could a pony fall out of a horsebox?

Think it might be one with a wooden floor must of fell through it and the trailer went over it,

Saw that in a town near me once cow went through the floor got dragged along luckily the driver noticed and stopped looked quiet bad though