It is common to see poor, squashed animals on the scenic roads of our fair province in most months of the year, with an uptick in summer. Raccoons, skunks, porcupines, squirrels, birds, and even deer are, sadly, casualties of traffic on our highways and even within town limits.
I have driven into a bird (once that I know of) and over a skunk (but he wasn't on the road when I went back immediately to look, so he may have avoided my wheels). I have also narrowly missed squirrels, deer, and mice.
Recently my mental list of possible victims I need to watch for when driving has increased.
While driving across a causeway a few weeks ago, I noticed a large turtle at the edge of the road, pointed toward the other side. I did not stop to assist him to cross safely for several reasons including that it is illegal to stop on that causeway, there was heavy traffic, and I was late for an appointment. Also I was wary of being bitten. But I looked for evidence of death, or escape from death, on my return trip, and was relieved that there was no body in sight.
Last week when driving through a rural area, something caught my eye on the opposite side of the road. It was a frog, hopping mightily . . . but also mighty slowly, or it seemed that way to me as I stood on the brakes and hoped for the best. I think I missed him because, again, there was no body on my return trip. I hope he lived to hop another day.
I also had a close call with a small bird not long ago. I can't be sure I didn't send him to heaven, but I didn't check because I would have had to drive twenty minutes out of my way to get back on that highway exit to take a look, and if he was injured/almost dead, what the heck would I even do? Run over him again, just to be sure??
I must stress I was not speeding and I was paying full attention to the road and the sides of the road. These are all just random encounters at random times. It's making me want to give up driving, though.
I was going to tell you about the deer whose leg was broken in a collision with a car and who came and laid under the bush beside our front door, and who was dispatched by a Department of Natural Resources bullet beside our front door - but that seems like a bridge too far. Nobody wants to hear a story like that.
Okay, this post is swerving wildly between happy endings and horrible ones, and now that I've unloaded all of that on you, I think you deserve some happier wildlife stuff to cleanse your mind.
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Skunks will do that to you. |
And because cats are sort of wildlife, I give you these:
That's all for today, folks. Hope you're having a good one :)
Those poor critters that we try to avoid on the road. I was devastated when I ran over a squirrel one time. They have started building wildlife passes that allow the animals to go over the road. I loved all of those cat memes. Kyle just got done cat sitting so there is a petition that we add a cat to the family but, unfortunately, it will not happen because Mrs. Shife is allergic.
ReplyDeleteWe have far too much road kill here. It hurts my head and my heart.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the funnies - the cat ones in particular were right on the money. Huge hugs sister over the seas.
When Zsuzs had her cat Squeaker, she used to lament all of the small furry or feathered creatures he would kill and bring home, and sometimes hide in places she wouldn't find until she could smell them. Last month, our cat killed a gopher, and to our surprise, Zsuzs complimented him because the gophers were killing her plants. So our cat must have heard her, because he has murdered three gophers in three days now, and Zsuzs isn't even here to appreciate his good deeds. Briana is doing PR for him though, and taking pictures of the recently dispatched gophers to show her when she returns.
ReplyDelete-Doug in Sugar Pine
The one with the kitten being called his full name makes me laugh every single time I see it.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I don't live where I would see so much roadkill or near misses.
It's a sad reality, no matter how careful we are, sometimes the critters just dart out in front and you can't do anything about it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the funnies, especially the "full name." That one hit home.
We have too many road accidents here. Since I live in the country, I did have many opportunities to stop and help a turtle across the road. And once I literally stood on the brakes to stop before I hit a red tail hawk juvenile who was probably taking his first dive. He pulled up, almost in time, but I clipped his wing. I looked and looked for him, and finally told a park ranger what had happened and where and hoped they would look out for the bird.
ReplyDeleteI love the duck one and the cat racing!
ReplyDeleteRoad kill is not nice to see, but really there's remarkably little of it. Even so, I felt sorry for the dead fox on the grass verge the other day.
I don't think that the juxtaposition between horrible things and some of the best Animal pics I've seen is healthy. Happening in media and people's lives.
ReplyDeleteSadly many wildlife are killed trying to cross busy roads.
ReplyDeleteMr. Shife: I understand about the squirrel. I was so upset also. And, no, mixing allergic humans with cats is not good at all.
ReplyDeleteElephant's Child: It's so sad to see the loss of wildlife due to vehicles on the road. Huge hugs in return, dear friend.
Doug: How big is your cat?? A gopher seems like large prey for a normal size cat. (Allow me a moment to feel sorry for the gophers, BTW. They are trying to live their little gopher-lives too :)) Squeaker is such a great name for a cat, lol
River: I love that shot of the kitten too :D I'm glad you still like it even though you've seen it before!
Mimi: So true. And we can't stay home all the time. Glad you liked the funnies :)
Joanne: So have you ever been bitten by a turtle? I'm glad you contacted the park ranger. There is nobody here to contact. The nearest wildlife shelter is half a province away too.
jabblog: Yes, the duck meme resonates with me in a big way, no pun intended :) I think you have far more foxes than we do. Or maybe ours stay deep in the woods (which we have a lot of).
Anonymous: I'd love it if you left your name in your comments! I think the juxtaposition you speak of is life in a nutshell, with all its good and all its bad. I usually try not to blog on topics like this but it was intended to be more of a way to record the unusual (for here) sightings of the turtle and frog.
Red: Yes, they're just living their wild lives and it's a shame they are on the losing end when those lives intersect with humans.
The gophers are smaller than the rats he used to kill that lived in the neighbor's woodpile in Richmond...
ReplyDelete-Doug in Sugar Pine
Doug: To think the rats were bigger than gophers is kind of scary ... !
ReplyDeleteAs awful as it is, I am glad the deer was dispatched by your door, no need to make the poor thing suffer a move. And your loving energy was there. Thats a woo woo thing for me to say and probably meaningless but we have to make ourselves feel better and it might be true.
ReplyDeleteI follow a facebook page with a woman who cares for wombats, so I am especially upset when I see a wombat at the side of the road.
Every time I get in the car to leave the city I pray I wont kill anything, make of that what you will.
I love the cats in boxes!
The only animal I know for sure I killed while driving was a turtle, when I was in my high-school driver's ed class. My classmates called me "turtle killer" ever afterwards.
ReplyDeleteTime: Anon above. You misunderstood. It is not the topic, although for a compassionate wildlife lover a little unexpected. It's a general exposure to suffering of others and you've been through more than your share;then lol at very funny cat pics. And doing so at very high speed. I would go as far as saying that the interwebs is teaching us to become more insensitive: Here's a tragedy that may bring tears to your eyes and remind you of something in your own life, and now let's laugh.
ReplyDeleteI love the bowl on the cat's head. I'm going to have to tell some friends about that.
ReplyDeleteTime:I used to be a volunteer rescuer. So when I see wildlife, I read. I try not to think about it. There will be more run ins. Climate change, natural disasters the anthropocene. Animals do what they've always done. Migrate.I know you care as many of us do, but we're in their way. Frog and turtle could have just been some escapees. In my area I see birds that don't belong, they stay because it's warmer, then don't make it through the winter. It's not good. If theres no rescue around you, there should be some public education.
ReplyDeletekylie: I asked the government workers if the deer was injured badly enough that they felt there was no choice but to put her down, and they talked about her age and the fact that she didn't try to run away. I felt I had less knowledge than they did and so I didn't argue. But I felt at least she died a quick death, which is more than I've seen on the side of the road. Thank you for your understanding and kindness. I too follow wombat rescues on FB and know that the situation is dire in many areas where construction is driving them out of their habitat. It is terribly sad, and I am thankful for those who are helping.
ReplyDeleteSteve: That sounds like a traumatic event for a new driver, especially where you are an animal lover. The nickname is kind of funny, though, in a way (sorry)
Time (Anonymous): Thanks for identifying yourself :) Please don't read anything into my U-turn in this post. It wasn't my most well-thought out piece of writing, and I often follow a serious subject with memes as a bit of an antidote to the sadness of life. Side note: we've had turtles and frogs here since I was a child and for generations before that. Maybe their appearance on the road I was travelling is a sign of increasing populations as the climate warms and maybe it was a coincidence. It would be interesting to have more data.
Mike: Just be sure to mention air holes in the bowl, please :) I've actually been wondering about this as a solution for my own feisty cat, but it's easier just to keep taking her for a professional trim, and then she doesn't hate me.
ReplyDeleteTime: I agree about public education; it is sadly lacking here. We are occasionally given the number for the Department of Natural Resources in case of wildlife being where they shouldn't be, or sometimes a piece in the paper about the privately owned rescue organization, but that's it. Thank you for your prior rescue work. There are too few people doing a never-ending job in that respect.
ReplyDeleteTime:Nice to meet you ;) I hope I'm not overstaying my welcome. In one municipality they baited wildlife with rabies vaccine. Worked very well. (As long as they ate it). Educating the public on what to do should be a PSA. Birds of prey have adapted very well. True, but there are always people willing to volunteer.
ReplyDeleteI realize that. Maybe I should explain;government organizations sometimes can't be bothered so they just put the animals down. It's just sad and the public doesn't know. There is also a lovely women who rescues fruit bats in Australia. Trended on YouTube during covid.
The captioned pics are very good. Do you recall which sites you have them from?
I ran over a squirrel once in Calgary. I was in high-speed bumper-to-bumper traffic so there was no possibility of swerving or slamming on the brakes; but I felt horrible anyway.
ReplyDeleteBut my sister takes the prize for "Most Horrifying Roadkill". She wasn't even the killer. She was driving behind a big semi that hit a gopher, and the truck's rear wheels caught the poor little body and flung it up onto my sister's windshield... where it wedged under the windshield wiper. Talk about having horrible things thrown in your face!
Thanks for the animal funnies - I laughed out loud at "Parkour"!
Over in wales it is pheasants that are the problem
ReplyDeleteThey get killed as they are too thick. To save themselves
Only ysterday three deer jumped out in front of the car I sat in. No, we did not heit them. In earlier days it was my neighbour's dog giving me a scare ever so often by jumping out from cover onto the road. It was eventually killed by a car - not me. I have avoided owls (!) deer and toads many times, and always stop to put those big, mating toads and frogs away from the middle of the road. When years ago I made a small pond in my garden, I went to the lake near that road and filled up a jar with tadpoles - I think I saved so many, that a small jar as payment was in order - I have now frogs and toads in my garden :D
ReplyDeleteI still miss one of my childhood pets, a victim of roadkill. Yet, it taught me an important lesson about my own safety among moving vehicles. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteTime: You are welcome at any time! I usually borrow the funnies/memes from Facebook or take a "snip" from YouTube compilations. I just save them as I see good ones and then when I make a blogpost I look for something that fits the theme (or sometimes just use a random compilation). I'm glad you enjoyed them.
ReplyDeleteDiane: There are many times when it just isn't safe to try to avoid a collision, and high speed traffic is one. Oh, your poor sister! That would be horrific. Especially getting stuck on the windshield!
John: I didn't realize pheasants would be at high risk. Then again, we don't have a whole lot of them here which could explain why I've not seen them amongst the fatalities.
Charlotte: I'm glad you didn't collide with the deer - for their sake and yours. They can cause damage to cars and humans. I agree those tadpoles were small payment for your care - and think of how many more have been produced in the safety of your pond!
DBStewart: Oh no - how sad to lose a pet that way. It's a hard way to learn a lesson.
it is never easy to witness such horrible scenes dear Jenny
ReplyDeletei have seen such sad vies several time on various spots during trips to our northern part where roads turns are tricky .
i am glad each time you tried to recheck for as if they passed successfully they had thankfully .i can imagine the relief ,
i enjoyed the funnies as well ,smart move you saved them for the end
the cat race had me
lots of love!
baili: I suppose this is a problem everywhere there are animals and humans with vehicles living together. It is inevitable. But that doesn't make it any easier to see, does it? I'm glad you enjoyed the funnies. I hope it helps to clear the bad pictures from people's minds.
ReplyDelete