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Thread: Road kill

  1. #1
    karen_87's Avatar
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    Default Road kill

    What a start to the morning! Its the first day of summer term at uni and I was heading up to campus to do some revision. The road leading up to the campus is a busy road with a 60mph speed limit and set in the countryside, so a lot of wild animals are around the road and area. The car in front of me was speeding like a maniac and ran over a male pheasant right in front of me in clear view of his mate who looked shocked and didn't know what to do.

    This upset me so much because the car speeding didn't give a damn about the pheasant they had just killed, they didn’t even bother to slow down. I came home after that as I was so upset and my girlfriend and I went back up there to shovel the bird out the road so he had some dignity. Not one person had stopped to do the same thing and give that poor animal some respect. We decided to put him into the bushes at the side of the road so at least nature could take over and the bird could become some use to other animals, instead of lying in the road being continuously run over by other cars.

  2. #2
    Boodler pusskins's Avatar
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    Default Re: Road kill

    The poor pheasants, and you poor thing having to witness all that I know exactly how you feel - the same thing happened to us recently, but with a cat. It's just awful seeing it happen. The cat was still alive when we stopped, but we heard that it died on the way to the vet. At least he was with his family. We live in a village in a chain of villages, and a lot of people don't bother to slow down in either the villages or the windy small roads.

    Good for you for giving the pheasant proper respect. How horrible for his mate to see this happen. Makes me very sad.
    "You're right, Jackie. The Fonz could beat up Bruce Lee."

  3. #3

    Default Re: Road kill

    I've seen a similar thing happen a few years ago when slow moving traffic ran over a line of several young ducks as the mother escorted them across the road on the carraigeway opposite me. I was absolutely fuming. I managed to get up to the roundabout and then back down that carraigeway to retrieve the poor dead and dying things: one died in my arms, the survivior I got to the vet but he died a few days later as a result of the injuries. I think the mother managed to get away. It was about seven ducks killed for no bloody reason. It still makes me soooo angry to think that humans can be so utterly selfish with regard to the lives of other sentient beings.

  4. #4
    patientia
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    Default Re: Road kill

    I will never forget a dog who was still alive and twitching. My boss was driving, and he didn't want to stop and check the animal. It was in Slovenia, so I texted one animal rights organization in Croatia to inform animal rights organizations in Slovenia (because I didn't know of any).

    Here we need to inform police or road maitenance service (which informs veterinary inspection) if we find dead animals.

  5. #5

    Default Re: Road kill

    It is so awful seeing animals being run over, i have seen far too many, they are the kind of images that stay with you An animal being run over on purpose is heartbreaking and gives me yet another reason to wonder how anyone could even think of doing such a thing
    Bless those of you who have helped these poor animals xx You really do help to redress the balance xx
    ~WE MUST NOT REFUSE WITH OUR EYES WHAT THEY MUST ENDURE WITH THEIR BODIES.~

  6. #6
    BlackCats
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    Default Re: Road kill

    Quote vegcurry View Post
    I've seen a similar thing happen a few years ago when slow moving traffic ran over a line of several young ducks as the mother escorted them across the road on the carraigeway opposite me. I was absolutely fuming. I managed to get up to the roundabout and then back down that carraigeway to retrieve the poor dead and dying things: one died in my arms, the survivior I got to the vet but he died a few days later as a result of the injuries. I think the mother managed to get away. It was about seven ducks killed for no bloody reason. It still makes me soooo angry to think that humans can be so utterly selfish with regard to the lives of other sentient beings.
    I remember you saying that on the forum VC. Poor things. People can be sickening sometimes.

  7. #7
    karen_87's Avatar
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    Default Re: Road kill

    Im sad to hear of other peoples experiences with animals killed by traffic too. Im glad that we got him into the bush though, its something compared to what many other would not have done.

  8. #8
    Can't cook. Sarah_'s Avatar
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    Default Re: Road kill

    That's sad. Where I live we have a family of ducks that hang out near this turnabout in the road, and even though there's a stop sign, people don't slow down. Well, one day I came home and one of the ducks was laying in the road. When I stopped the car and went to see if he was alright, he was still soft and slightly warm. How can you just hit an animal with your car and keep driving like you don't care? It was sadder to me than usual because I see the duck family every day. I put him in some bushes by the side of the road and cried for a while, it was so sad.
    Either this wallpaper goes, or I do.

  9. #9
    Keane
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    Default Re: Road kill

    The week before all the hysteria about a woman throwing a cat in a wheelie bin, a few miles away from there, I cycled past a dead cat which must have been knocked down (in a 30 mph zone). Last week, I drove past a dead animal that looked like a fox on the A46 (a 70mph road, three lanes each way). I have not (yet) knocked down any animal and I wouldn't do so on purpose, but there is always a chance it may happen.

  10. #10

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    Default Re: Road kill

    I had an apsolutly heartbreaking experience, well actually I have had a few regarding wild animals and evil people...
    One was about 4 years ago, I was driving down a dual carrigway in a steady stream of traffic going 60mph and I saw people on the opposite side of the road swerving slightly to avoid something, which until I got closer did not know what it was, it was a poor fox who had obviously been hit by a car and broken its legs, the poor poor creature was dragging himself along with his front paws, I was so distressed, I burst in to tears, but I could not physically stop and get out or I would probably have been knocked down myself as he was in the middle of the road, I cried all the way home and for the rest of the night, I still can not drive down that road without seeing the look on his little face, he looked terrified, it nearly killed me and to this day I wish there was something I could have done to help him.
    I have seen someone hit a pheasant in front of me, bless it, it 'flew' in to the bushes, feathers were flying everywhere.
    I have seen many deers, badgers and foxes on the side of the roads, it is so sad.
    Then a few months ago, I was driving my friend home and the car right in front of me hit a pigeon, I saw the poor bird get smacked by the car, feathers all over the place and it fell tot he ground, as I went past it looked to still be alive as its head was in an upright position so I pulled over when I could and ran back to see him, his head was down and we could not see any breathing so we thought we should leave him, but as I started to drive off I could not continue and decided to go back and even just move him out of the road if he was infact dead or take him to the emergency vets if there were some hope, well I pulled up on the side of the road, blanket in hand and just as we were aproaching him a car ran right over him, I actually heard his bones crack, i screamed and fell in to my friends arms! I was inconsolable

  11. #11

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    Default Re: Road kill

    God these stories are all so so sad I tend to avoid country lanes because I'm so scared I'll knock something down. When me and my ex boyfriend were driving down them on the way to where he lived we ran over a bunny, I gasped and covered my face with my hands and started shaking, he'd slammed on the breaks but I didn't hold my hopes up - but then we saw the bunny hop away right as rain behind the car, the relief that we hadn't hit him was immense. Then he hopped over to the other side of the road, and was very close to getting hit by another car which swerved to avoid it - i gasped again and was gripping my seat so hard white knuckles were bared, then luckily it made its way into the bushes and onto the next field - we checked before we continued driving.
    When I was walking once I witnessed a baby deer get hit by a car It was so surreal, it looked like something in CGI. I screamed out as I saw it roll off the car and onto the side of the road - the car actually drove off > I started running then, getting my phone out to call the 24 hr country vets - but it stood up and started running back across the road - and almost got hit by another car which stopped right in front of it, and let it run across and into the trees before driving away again - because it was running and they hadn't seen what I had, they probably didn't know it was hurt. So I crossed into the woods to see if it had fallen down anywhere but I couldn't find it anywhere so i just hope it was ok, but the hit was a hard one :/ so I'll never be sure.

    When I was learning to drive, a little bird in the road wouldnt move as I was driving towards it so I slowed right down in a 50 mph zone until it flew off, then my instructor actually said that I shouldnt be willing to fail my driving test, which I would do if I did that on it, in order to save a little bird of which there are hundreds more. I was like what the hell? Are you really saying this!?
    I just do not understand some people

  12. #12

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    Default Re: Road kill

    Quote VeganBride View Post
    God these stories are all so so sad I tend to avoid country lanes because I'm so scared I'll knock something down. When me and my ex boyfriend were driving down them on the way to where he lived we ran over a bunny, I gasped and covered my face with my hands and started shaking, he'd slammed on the breaks but I didn't hold my hopes up - but then we saw the bunny hop away right as rain behind the car, the relief that we hadn't hit him was immense. Then he hopped over to the other side of the road, and was very close to getting hit by another car which swerved to avoid it - i gasped again and was gripping my seat so hard white knuckles were bared, then luckily it made its way into the bushes and onto the next field - we checked before we continued driving.
    When I was walking once I witnessed a baby deer get hit by a car It was so surreal, it looked like something in CGI. I screamed out as I saw it roll off the car and onto the side of the road - the car actually drove off > I started running then, getting my phone out to call the 24 hr country vets - but it stood up and started running back across the road - and almost got hit by another car which stopped right in front of it, and let it run across and into the trees before driving away again - because it was running and they hadn't seen what I had, they probably didn't know it was hurt. So I crossed into the woods to see if it had fallen down anywhere but I couldn't find it anywhere so i just hope it was ok, but the hit was a hard one :/ so I'll never be sure.

    When I was learning to drive, a little bird in the road wouldnt move as I was driving towards it so I slowed right down in a 50 mph zone until it flew off, then my instructor actually said that I shouldnt be willing to fail my driving test, which I would do if I did that on it, in order to save a little bird of which there are hundreds more. I was like what the hell? Are you really saying this!?
    I just do not understand some people

    I know exactly what you mean, I had this on two occasions when I was learning to drive once with a squirrell and once with a pigeon, I slowed right down for both of them to get away and my 'fat bit*h of a driving instructior' told me that they are just animals and they would move before I got to them! Well how does she figure that when animals get hit everyday!?

  13. #13
    BlueGreenEyes's Avatar
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    Default Re: Road kill

    I think its sad that humans have made it such a hostile enviroment for animals, I wish that things where different and people took more care............. I think some people are so in their own heads with their own problems they dont care/ think about they problems they cause other living creature....... but I would prefer to think that people dont realise the pain that they put animals though, because I think I would lose the rest of my faith in human nature

  14. #14
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    Default Re: Road kill

    Poor you to have to witness that. I lived in the country a few years ago and I went on a date with this guy he drove me back afterwards and actually was looking for animals to knock over and he was swerving all over the place whenever he saw something to try and hit it needless to say I was furious. And another time I was driving through the city with my mum and a little dog ran into the road the care in front of us hit him stopped for a few moments and then drove off. Luckily he wasn't too badly injured. He was almost starved to death and you could tell he wasn't a stray as his claws were so long (they were all curled up and lapping over one another.) We took him to a rescue centre but they told us they had no space and they would have to put him down so we took him to the police and reported what had happened they said if his owners ever tried to find him they would be arrested for animal cruelty. We took him home and he turned into a lovely and healthy dog called Barney. Sorry for going on a bit there, I thought this thread could do with a happy something.
    Well done for giving the pheasant the respect he deserved. I wish the same could be said for the idiot driving the car.

  15. #15
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    Default Re: Road kill

    One of my driving lessons with my mum, a few years back, ended really badly. It was the first time I had gone driving in the dark, and at the time I was living in a small country town where lots of kangaroos, koalas and wombats venture onto the road, as I was driving along a 100km zone, a heard a thud so I pulled over and got out. Behind the car was an adolescent joey, I didn't even see where he had come from even though I had my high beam lights on. As I knelt down to see if he was alright, his head was completely crushed. I was horrified at the sight, and began shaking and crying. I couldn't believe that I had done that. My mum and I managed to drag him into the bushes, off the road to maintain what little dignity I had left him.

  16. #16

    Default Re: Road kill

    This is yet another reason why my boyfriend and I don't want to drive. I know that if I ever hit an animal I would be so upset by it I'd fall apart.

  17. #17
    Sgable84's Avatar
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    Default Re: Road kill

    Its a crazy world we live in where people wont even stop to check the "damage" to their car when they hit something...let alone check the animal.

    I have stopped numerous times to pick up birds who have been in the road with broken wings and such...its a wonder that I was the only one who stopped to help. Unfortunately, I didn't take one to the vet, but instead I put it under a tree, I still feel soo bad about that.

  18. #18
    Sgable84's Avatar
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    Default Re: Road kill

    Also, I forgot to add one story which I thought was neat.

    I live in the Midwest where there are LOTS of Canadian Geese, and well, these birds arnt the smartest. And one day there was a whole bunch of them walking across the street in the middle of rush hour! Thank God some people had stopped to "escort" them across, but i think they did it out of annoyance instead of compassion.

    And one time, a boyfriend and I were driving, and someone hit a goose. Of course I was totally upset and wanted to stop...and he was like "those stupid birds" and kept driving. I knew right there that he was a bad guy...lol

  19. #19

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    Default Re: Road kill

    This summer there were rabbits everywhere. Down one tiny country lane, there were no cars around so I was crawling along too avoid them all but there were literally dozens squashed all down the road (I didn't squish any). It wasn't physically posible to go fast down that road so people were obviously not even bothering to steer out the way. It seems like the more road kill there is the more it doesn't seem like a big deal to kill something, so next summer I might clean up and hopefully it will make people more careful.

    I hate it when insects splat against that windscreen in the summer =[ thats a form of roadkill too

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