OUT!! #31: Roadkill Redux

On my way back from spending a lovely weekend in Ohio with my girlfriend (she is a songbird nest technician for the summer), I couldn't help but notice the high numbers of roadkill lining the sides of the highway. Well...not lining like a procession, but more like a body every couple of miles or so. The most common sight was of what I assumed were female White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in varying states of pulverization. Some were intact but resembled burly, bloated flour sacks with legs splayed in different directions. Others had the calling cards of traumatic injury such as broken or even severed limbs and still others, having been hit in the middle of the road, had been ground into the pavement by the repeated and monotonous hum of vehicular traffic.

It must be a regular sight for the seasoned traveler to find animals that once were alive, but now often lay plastered across the pavement in great streaks of flesh and entrails. One becomes desensitized to the idea of death being so prevalent on our roads and often people don't even glance back at the lifeless form that sits before them. If possible, I prefer to get close and covet what is left of the creature. It may look weird to others, but I feel that it is one of the best ways to appreciate the body of an animal, even a recently deceased one.

I took these photos some time last fall or winter near Walden Pond in Concord, MA. Just by the side of the road being passed by car after car after car was a doe, recently killed by a motorist and lying prone by the side of the road. What struck me about the doe's presence in that place was the obvious nature of her being there. Even in death, people were passing her by without really acknowledging her. They might have tutted or sighed with the loss of a "beautiful wild creature" but without closer inspection, I feel like their sympathy for the loss of the deer was not so heartfelt.

Judging by her splayed legs she, like so many of the dead deer I saw along the highway, was probably shocked after being hit broadside by a vehicle and probably died of a combination of internal trauma and shock. The life had since faded from her eyes leaving only the glazed over cornea that can be seen in the head shots above. The complete opacity of the cornea indicates that the deer had probably been dead longer than 24 hours by that point and probably died within the last day or so.

What does this mean ultimately? And why do I have such a morbid (haha, bad pun) fascination with death and roadkill? I think what holds the greatest interest for me is what has captured the attention of biologists, naturalists, and anyone who's been alive on this planet since ever! It is the "spark" of life that seems to move us while we're alive and seems to exhale out of us when we die. To become nothing but inanimate flesh and bone after death seems so foreign and unpleasant, I can see why some people are bothered by the sight of dead animals by the side of the highway. But after such a traumatic death, they are not what they once were. Their still forms dot the roadsides, reminding us of the life that surrounds us, but unfortunately and all too often meets its end by colliding with man's wheeled convenience machines. While I've seen plenty of roadkill in my life and even handled (with gloves!) some creatures out of curious observation, I can't help but wonder if there is more to the death of some creatures than others. Not just the process, but the act of dying itself is what I find most compelling.

There is a book by Bernd Heinrich called "Life Everlasting: The Animal Way of Death" which focuses on how death is equal to life in that it's role is just as important for maintaining the lives of the many species that live upon this planet. He discusses the roles of scavengers and predators, as well as the importance of understanding the role that death plays in all of our lives. I look forward to reading it as Heinrich is one of my favorite authors with his succinct, yet rich writing detailing the lives of the animals he observes around him. I'll talk about my thoughts on it another time (I have thought about turning this blog into a nature book review blog, but I'll have to experiment with that first) and hopefully I will come back with a glowing review. Hope everyone had a lovely Memorial Day and enjoy the rest of your week.