Donal Hickey: Huge numbers of animals killed on roads every day
Accident Day Thursday, Road On 10 Is Animal Awareness World October
Travel a few kilometres of any road and you’re likely to see a dead animal. Little wonder as motorised traffic is growing all the time and the number of cars on our roads has almost doubled since 1990 to 2.9 million.
Although there are no national statistics, levels of animal roadkill are undoubtedly huge. An Automobile Association (AA) survey of 9,500 motorists, seven years ago, found 13% had been involved in at least one collision with an animal, or bird.
Rabbits headed the victim list at 21%, followed closely by dogs and cats. Other surveys conducted by people such as Cork biologist, Paul Whelan, had badgers, foxes and hedgehogs close to the top of the list.
Even with long-running, badger culling programmes to combat the controversial issue of TB in cattle, we still seem to have a large, widespread badger population, just from road observation.
And, with the deer rutting (mating) season now underway, people need to be aware of increased numbers of unpredictable deer crossing roads. A particular blackspot seems to be the road between Killarney, County Kerry, and Macroom, County Cork, where I often see deer carcases. Deer numbers are out of control around the country.
Globally, massive numbers of animals are killed by vehicles. World Animal Road Accident Awareness Day, on Thursday, October 10, draws attention to this pressing issue and advocates the safety of our animal friends.
In America, an estimated one million animals die on the roads each day. In Britain, it is reckoned annual road casualties account for around 100,000 fox deaths, 50,000 badgers, 50,000 deer, and 30 million birds. A few countries record animal deaths, including Brazil where 1.3 million die every day after being struck by vehicles.
Road Accident Awareness Day aims to shed light on this issue, educate drivers on how to avoid animals on the road, and provide guidance on helping injured animals when encountered while driving.
So what can drivers do? Obviously it's vital to drive more carefully, especially in areas known for animal crossings; to obey speed limits; and be ready to brake if an animal suddenly appears on the road.
In Ireland in recent years, major road and motorway developments have included wildlife corridors, underpasses, and safety ledges where animals can pass without coming to harm, as well as trees and fences.
In 2017, the first bat bridge was built over the M17 motorway, in south County Galway — it's basically a green overpass with hedgerows for lesser-horseshoe bats flying between roosts.
Finally, the previously-mentioned AA survey showed that Waterford motorists are more likely to collide with an animal — 21% of drivers in the Decies reported such an incident.