Keeping track of roadkill

The sight of a carcass of a mature deer on the roadside in the precincts of Killarney National Park, recently, brought home in a graphic way the fact that large numbers of animals, large and small, are being killed on our roads.

We don’t have exact figures for animal road kill in Ireland, but statistics from other, similar countries may give an idea as to its extent.

In an effort to determine the level of animal mortality on our roads, the National Parks and Wildlife Service is conducting a 2014 survey under which people can log details on dead animals they see on www.biology.ie.