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[Misc] Roadkill



Giraffe

VERY part time moderator
Helpful Moderator
NSC Patreon
Aug 8, 2005
26,454
I had the misfortune to run over a badger on the way home from the football late on Saturday night. Apart from killing the badger it also wrecked the underside of my car, but that's an aside.

Is it time more was done to minimise this? The badger in question was either suicidal (it literally walked straight in front of the car) or it just had no alternative, but should we be providing more tunnels or something to keep them off the road. The amount of badgers I've seen dead on the A roads I'm surprised there are any left now. The A24 and A27 seem particularly bad.

My son also had a similar experience with a dear not that long ago.

I know on some new roads they try and build in subway routes but what about current roads? Is the cost just too great or does no one care?
 


Bold Seagull

strong and stable with me, or...
Mar 18, 2010
29,719
Hove
I had the misfortune to run over a badger on the way home from the football late on Saturday night. Apart from killing the badger it also wrecked the underside of my car, but that's an aside.

Is it time more was done to minimise this? The badger in question was either suicidal (it literally walked straight in front of the car) or it just had no alternative, but should we be providing more tunnels or something to keep them off the road. The amount of badgers I've seen dead on the A roads I'm surprised there are any left now. The A24 and A27 seem particularly bad.

My son also had a similar experience with a dear not that long ago.

I know on some new roads they try and build in subway routes but what about current roads? Is the cost just too great or does no one care?

Hedgehog numbers are also on a massive decline, to the point of disappearing in the South West, largely thought to be through roads creating isolated islands which don't give the hedgehogs freedom to roam if food becomes scare.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/sep/09/if-we-love-hedgehogs-why-let-them-vanish

although as an aside, hedgehog numbers also impacted by badgers, so you may have done a hedgehog a favour in that regard.
 


Springal

Well-known member
Feb 12, 2005
23,708
GOSBTS
. The amount of badgers I've seen dead on the A roads I'm surprised there are any left now. The A24 and A27 seem particularly bad.

Dare I say it... local farmers are shooting them and dumping them on the A24/A27 as 'road kill' .... maybe :hilton:
 


Stat Brother

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Jul 11, 2003
73,365
West west west Sussex
Perhaps they could have their own bridges:-

floating_zebra_crossing-745x419.jpg.optimal.jpg


Believe me, a suicidal badger is nothing compared to the quality and quantity of livestock that runs out in front of bicycles.
 


I had the misfortune to run over a badger on the way home from the football late on Saturday night. Apart from killing the badger it also wrecked the underside of my car, but that's an aside.

Is it time more was done to minimise this? The badger in question was either suicidal (it literally walked straight in front of the car) or it just had no alternative, but should we be providing more tunnels or something to keep them off the road. The amount of badgers I've seen dead on the A roads I'm surprised there are any left now. The A24 and A27 seem particularly bad.

My son also had a similar experience with a dear not that long ago.

I know on some new roads they try and build in subway routes but what about current roads? Is the cost just too great or does no one care?

Did you mean an " old dear " ?
 






Mr Putdown

Well-known member
Jan 26, 2004
2,899
Christchurch
That's exactly what's happening throughout the country

Can you back that up with any facts, only the most likely reason is the sheer proliferation of badgers since they became a protected species.

It must be twenty years since the badger population exceeded the number of foxes in the UK.

If you’re looking for ‘dodgy’ road kill, I’d suggest you focus your concern on otters.
 


beorhthelm

A. Virgo, Football Genius
Jul 21, 2003
35,264
I know on some new roads they try and build in subway routes but what about current roads? Is the cost just too great or does no one care?

funny thing about badgers, with most wildlife, is they dont know they are supposed to use the tunnel. so you can retrofit tunnels evey x hundred meters for thousands of miles of road, at great expense, and find they dont use them. so no, we dont care enough for the cost, if its free (which it is relatively in the costs when building new) we'll do stuff like this, when it costs half a billion we wont.
 




AmexRuislip

Trainee Spy 🕵️‍♂️
Feb 2, 2014
33,727
Ruislip
I had the misfortune to run over a badger on the way home from the football late on Saturday night. Apart from killing the badger it also wrecked the underside of my car, but that's an aside.

Is it time more was done to minimise this? The badger in question was either suicidal (it literally walked straight in front of the car) or it just had no alternative, but should we be providing more tunnels or something to keep them off the road. The amount of badgers I've seen dead on the A roads I'm surprised there are any left now. The A24 and A27 seem particularly bad.

My son also had a similar experience with a dear not that long ago.

I know on some new roads they try and build in subway routes but what about current roads? Is the cost just too great or does no one care?

funny thing about badgers, with most wildlife, is they dont know they are supposed to use the tunnel. so you can retrofit tunnels evey x hundred meters for thousands of miles of road, at great expense, and find they dont use them. so no, we dont care enough for the cost, if its free (which it is relatively in the costs when building new) we'll do stuff like this, when it costs half a billion we wont.

I'm sure the new Hastings to Bexhill bypass, has such tunnels and even sporadic fences erected to deter bats from flying across the roads.
 


Wardy's twin

Well-known member
Oct 21, 2014
8,402
That's exactly what's happening throughout the country

Can you back that up with any facts, only the most likely reason is the sheer proliferation of badgers since they became a protected species.

It must be twenty years since the badger population exceeded the number of foxes in the UK.

If you’re looking for ‘dodgy’ road kill, I’d suggest you focus your concern on otters.

I didn't know they did a census return so have not seen the figures, how many badgers and foxes are there ?
 


Harry Wilson's tackle

Harry Wilson's Tackle
NSC Patreon
Oct 8, 2003
49,331
Faversham
I had the misfortune to run over a badger on the way home from the football late on Saturday night. Apart from killing the badger it also wrecked the underside of my car, but that's an aside.

Is it time more was done to minimise this? The badger in question was either suicidal (it literally walked straight in front of the car) or it just had no alternative, but should we be providing more tunnels or something to keep them off the road. The amount of badgers I've seen dead on the A roads I'm surprised there are any left now. The A24 and A27 seem particularly bad.

My son also had a similar experience with a dear not that long ago.

I know on some new roads they try and build in subway routes but what about current roads? Is the cost just too great or does no one care?

Why don't you simply drive more carefully?

Alternatively, if your personal road kill score has gone up despite your immaculate driving, does it not mean that there are more .....wild animals about.....not hiding from kids who would stone them to death at the drop of a hat like the norm back in the day? Squirrels were never seen when I was a kid. Now they are everywhere :shrug:

Anyway, Brexit will sort it :thumbsup:
 




portlock seagull

Why? Why us?
Jul 28, 2003
16,979
We are all going to hell in a handcart, the environmental battle is lost because not enough people, globally, care. Full stop.

All we can do is do what we can to slow the current wave of mass extinction. But reverse the tide? Not a Scooby. In fact, he'll be DEAD too!
 




Harry Wilson's tackle

Harry Wilson's Tackle
NSC Patreon
Oct 8, 2003
49,331
Faversham
Perhaps they could have their own bridges:-

View attachment 100454


Believe me, a suicidal badger is nothing compared to the quality and quantity of livestock that runs out in front of bicycles.

Broke my wrist on a swarm of tourists stampeding across the road at parliament square 10 years ago. The gormless ********.
 






Raleigh Chopper

New member
Sep 1, 2011
12,054
Plymouth
Which all goes to prove that The Tufty Club was a pile of shit.
Showing kids how to cross the road safely, the main character was a Squirrel, there was also a Rabbit, both commonly seen splattered across a road, with their intestines stuck to your tyres.
And who was showing these animal jay walkers how to cross the road safely, Policeman bloody Badger that's who.
A creature that willingly commits suicide and buries itself into your radiator grill.
Tufty Club? What a load of old shit that was.
 




Wellesley

Well-known member
Jul 24, 2013
4,973
funny thing about badgers, with most wildlife, is they dont know they are supposed to use the tunnel. so you can retrofit tunnels evey x hundred meters for thousands of miles of road, at great expense, and find they dont use them. so no, we dont care enough for the cost, if its free (which it is relatively in the costs when building new) we'll do stuff like this, when it costs half a billion we wont.

True. We need to educate the Badgers first, but this Government has cut the wildlife education budget by hundreds of millions and I'm afraid they have much Badger blood on their hands. Once they have have been enlightened, then we should build more Badger tunnels. We waste fortunes on Zebra/Pelican crossings that could be used for this purpose, when was the last time you saw a Zebra in the street? It's common sense.
 
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Mr Putdown

Well-known member
Jan 26, 2004
2,899
Christchurch
I didn't know they did a census return so have not seen the figures, how many badgers and foxes are there ?

Current estimates for 2017 is 240,000 foxes and 485,000 badgers in the U.K.

The fact that badger numbers have increased by an estimated 88% since the 80’s is the most likely reason you see so many more dead badgers on the road these days, rather than some rogue farmers.
 


Wardy's twin

Well-known member
Oct 21, 2014
8,402
Current estimates for 2017 is 240,000 foxes and 485,000 badgers in the U.K.

The fact that badger numbers have increased by an estimated 88% since the 80’s is the most likely reason you see so many more dead badgers on the road these days, rather than some rogue farmers.

The problem is no one actually knows the numbers and estimates are just that a guess.

There are people out there who just take fun from killing wildlife 7 foxes shot in Seaford and bodies dumped by road, same is happening in cull areas for badgers to reduce hunters costs.
 



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