Gravity Aided
Legendary Member
- Location
- Land of Lincoln
Funny, last fall I examined a dead badger as well. I was not aware badgers lived in my area. But they do.
Dead Badgers found whilst cycling
- Thread starter Gravity Aided
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OP
OP
Gravity Aided
Legendary Member
- Location
- Land of Lincoln
mudsticks
Obviously an Aubergine
Poor OP this has turned into 'dead badger' chat.
See loads round here, you can often smell em before you see em.
++++++1 for solo cycling, the freedom to go at your own pace, non competitive, stop and chat (or not) to strangers, .
I'm sure group riding has its charms, but the groups round our way are a noisy lot, always shouting to each other. about something or other.
The wildlife (apart from the dead stuff) long gone, before they arrive.
Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
Last year or maybe year before I found a DB slap in the middle of a narrow lane at about 6:30-7:00am. Can't have been there long because it wasn't squashed and vehicles couldn't get round it. I stopped, and shoved it to the side of the road with my foot. As I was doing this I had a Poirot moment - it wasn't freshly dead. It was quite horrible and mouldy. It must have been dumped there by a farmer.
mudsticks
Obviously an Aubergine
Hear this 'clandestine dumping' of badgers on the road by farmers thing quite often.
But think about it, why would we do that, when we have acres of space to do it privately, if we were so minded.
Especially after having'stored' them for a while to go mouldy??
It's most likely been unearthed from the hedge by a fox or another badger, having once been hit by a car, then crawled into hedge to die.
I do have to use electric fences to keep badgets off my crops.. Principally broadbeans and sweetcorn,
But I don't kill them..
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Heltor Chasca
Out-riding the Black Dog
Returning in the dark and rain from a 250km Audax, I came across a badger that had just been hit. Big boar still in his final death throes. It was unpleasant. I’m getting more sensitive with age. Further up the road was a car driven by teenagers who were inspecting the damage. Driving too fast at a guess. Lots of badgers round here.
Pale Rider
Legendary Member
Dead animals found while cycling might get more responses.
There are some minor roads around my caravan in the Yorkshire Dales which have many squashed carcasses on them.
Rabbits and game birds (reared on a shooting estate nearby) are the most common victims.
There are some minor roads around my caravan in the Yorkshire Dales which have many squashed carcasses on them.
Rabbits and game birds (reared on a shooting estate nearby) are the most common victims.
Siclo
Veteran
My bold - it's very common.
I used to work at the same Defra site that did the initial trial for the badger culling. One of the jobs that the badger team had was to go out and collect 'roadkill' badgers for post-mortem, I can't remember the exact numbers but far and away the vast majority had either been shot or poisoned and dumped in the road to try and hide the cause of death.
OP
OP
Gravity Aided
Legendary Member
- Location
- Land of Lincoln
The State of Illinois moved some turkey vultures from Southern Illinois to these parts to clean up the roads. They seem to do a good job, still see the carcass truck, just not so often. Gigantic birds, the turkey vulture. Six foot wingspan. Ugly birds, beautiful flyers. Some live at the insurance company, which I suppose they see as cliff-like. Birds that size probably make short work of a badger.
areyouactuallymoving
Well-Known Member
- Location
- Stroud
Do your bit for science and record the road kill to Project Splatter https://projectsplatter.co.uk/what-does-project-splatter-do/collect/
"We are a team of reseachers based at Cardiff University. With help from the public, we collects data on animals killed by motor vehicles on roads in the UK. We analyse the submitted roadkill observations to determine the impact of roads on UK wildlife and to identify hotspots. We provide regular updates on what we have learned on social media, on our website and in scientific publications."
I am not, I hasten to add, part of the team that works on Project Splatter.
"We are a team of reseachers based at Cardiff University. With help from the public, we collects data on animals killed by motor vehicles on roads in the UK. We analyse the submitted roadkill observations to determine the impact of roads on UK wildlife and to identify hotspots. We provide regular updates on what we have learned on social media, on our website and in scientific publications."
I am not, I hasten to add, part of the team that works on Project Splatter.
OP
OP
Gravity Aided
Legendary Member
- Location
- Land of Lincoln
Sounds like a noble effort, and provide valuable data for conservation purposes.
Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
This did cross my mind while I was moving it and having my Poirot moment.
Poirot: Regardez, 'Astings. This badger is not freshly dead.
Hastings: But dash it all, Poirot, how did a mouldy dead badger get into the middle of the road? Surely no one would store it until it was ripe, and then dump it here? Why not bury it in a field?
Poirot: Patience, mon ami. Poirot will reveal all ...
Hastings: Look out Poirot, mind where you tread, don't step in ...
Poirot: Zut! Ze leetle grey cells. All over my shoes.
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Globalti
Legendary Member
Interesting. My examination of the dead badger told me two things:
1 - It had had its throat torn out - possibly killed by a dog?
2 - It was a very long way up a steep bank beside the road and the side I could see looked undamaged.
So maybe it had been thrown up there from the back of a trailer and not by an impact with a car.
1 - It had had its throat torn out - possibly killed by a dog?
2 - It was a very long way up a steep bank beside the road and the side I could see looked undamaged.
So maybe it had been thrown up there from the back of a trailer and not by an impact with a car.
bladderhead
Well-Known Member
On my commute I passed the same - I think it was a fox - every day for a month. That would have made a great series of images for the roadkill gallery.
I am in Ilford on the NE edge of London. Almost always foxes, occasional cats. Never seen a badger, alive or dead. Seen live hedgehogs but never a dead one.
I am in Ilford on the NE edge of London. Almost always foxes, occasional cats. Never seen a badger, alive or dead. Seen live hedgehogs but never a dead one.
Heltor Chasca
Out-riding the Black Dog
I will occasionally bring deer back for the family freezer. (Aware of all the precautions before I get a bombardment of lectures.)
The last roe was a beautiful doe with minimal trauma. My oldest saw her on the way to school. I saw it and collected it on the way to my youngest daughter’s school. When my oldest got home she said, ‘I forgot to tell you there was a deer on the road, but when I came back from school it wasn’t there anymore so I didn’t bother.’
She had venison stew for supper that night.
When she worked it out she said, ‘I could have guessed you collected her. You are the only person in the village who feeds their children roadkill.’
The last roe was a beautiful doe with minimal trauma. My oldest saw her on the way to school. I saw it and collected it on the way to my youngest daughter’s school. When my oldest got home she said, ‘I forgot to tell you there was a deer on the road, but when I came back from school it wasn’t there anymore so I didn’t bother.’
She had venison stew for supper that night.
When she worked it out she said, ‘I could have guessed you collected her. You are the only person in the village who feeds their children roadkill.’
