In my little corner of the world (Queens/Long Island border) there are a lot of birds, opossums, racoons and cats dead on the road these days (not so much squirrels though. You’d think there would be but no) and I’m wondering if this is a spring thing. And if it is, why? Maybe a breeding thing? But then, why cats? Where I am is very urban, is it different in less citified surroundings?
This question was prompted after coming across bird and a racoon roadkill on a ten minute drive to the supermarket and back.
It’s not just you. We’re seeing an upsurge in roadkill also.
Springtime, and a young and inattentive mammal’s fancy turns to love, and well, splat.
Raccoons, bright about many things, have largely not yet learned to look both ways before crossing busy thoroughfares. This past week I came upon two in just a short stretch of a 45 mph two-lane road near home. Deer are also abundantly displaying their lack of traffic smarts, though for them at this time of the year it’s just plain stupidity.
I think there may also be a connection with the salt build up from the winter attracting some wildlife closer to the road than they might otherwise get.
Spring is the mating season, when animals are paying a lot more attention to each other, distracted from what they would consider the routine hazards of normal life in the complex world.
