Presumably following the maxim of “waste not, want not,” utilizing roadkill has become a trend.
In Britain, top forager Fergus Drennan (wildmanwildfood.com) has taken to holding roadkill suppers. In Australia, one Les Hall published a handy guidebook to spotting deceased species on the road. And in Canada, designer Amy Nugent has taken things one step further, “harvesting” highway hits from bears and moose through to porcupines to fashion a celebrated jewelry range (roadquill.ca) that includes bracelets and tie slides.
The first rule of sustainability is using abundance — and there is an abundance of roadkill. At one famed US junction, Highway 27 at Lake Jackson near Tallahassee, Florida, a turtle has a 98.86 percent chance of being killed. On British roads, the People’s Trust for Endangered Species estimates that 1 percent to 2 percent of the national population of hedgehogs dies each year.
Carrion appeals to those who hate waste and, as one prolific UK roadkill consumer put it, of 40 carcasses found on British roads, 20 will be edible, which are good odds for something that’s free.
The eighth Mammals on Road survey from last year placed rabbit hit-and-runs in first place, followed by hedgehogs.
But a separate study by Royal Holloway and Bedford university found that hedgehogs have the poorest road skills. That is worrying because hedgehog numbers appear to be declining by 7.5 percent, suggesting the species is in need of more strenuous conservation efforts.
In terms of reducing road deaths, this could include special wildlife walkways and tunnels to help them cross unharmed.
Many animal rights campaigners give roadkill the green light, including PETA, which deems roadkill meat acceptable because it isn’t produced by the “barbaric” meat industry.
Still, it’s hardly a natural end.
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