Pheasants and badgers top list of the most commonly killed animals on UK roads as more than 5,000 creatures became roadkill already in 2019 – including a WALLABY and a beaver
- More than 900 badgers died after being hit by a car between January and June
- A wallaby was reportedly killed near Oxford, and a beaver on the A9 in Scotland
- Cardiff University’s Project Splatter has been tracking roadkill since 2013
Pheasants and badgers have topped the list of most commonly killed animals on UK roads, as it was revealed more than 5,000 creatures have become roadkill in 2019 so far.
More than 900 badgers died after being hit by a car between January and June, as well as 1,347 pheasants.
There have also been a number of unusual animals taken out on the roads – including a wallaby near Oxford, and a beaver on the A9 in Scotland.
Project Splatter at Cardiff University has been tracking roadkill since 2013 and relies on people reporting any carcasses they spot.
Researchers admit the method has flaws and the true number of dead mammals and birds is likely to be far higher.
Pheasants and badgers have topped the list of most commonly killed animals on UK roads. More than 900 badgers died after being hit by a car between January and June this year (file photo)
Pictured: a map of where the roadkill was reported across the UK in the past six months
Co-founder Sarah Perkins told BBC News roadkill is scavenged by crows and magpies very quickly, so that also affects reported numbers.
She added: ‘We decided to set up this study to actually find out fundamentally how many animals were being killed on the roads and where it occurred.
‘We get well over 10,000 reports each year. That is the tip of the iceberg, of course, because not everyone has heard of the project.’
The second most commonly killed mammal were foxes at 475 deaths, followed by hedgehogs on 453.
There were also 156 woodpigeon deaths, and 93 blackbirds were killed.
Project Splatter’s numbers are roughly in line with animal populations – there are around 485,000 badgers across England and Wales, and 250,000 foxes.
Project Splatter at Cardiff University has been tracking roadkill since 2013 and relies on people reporting any carcasses they spot, meaning the true number of dead mammals and birds is far higher (file photo)
The news comes as the Department for Transport announced plans to create signs warning motorists about nearby wildlife, including one featuring a hedgehog.
Hedgehog populations in rural areas has halved since 2000, and now stands at less than one million.
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling urged local authorities and animal welfare groups to identify accident and wildlife hotspots where the signs should be located.
He said: ‘The new small mammal warning sign should help to reduce the number of people killed and injured, as well as helping our precious small wild mammal population to flourish.’
WHAT DID PROJECT SPLATTER’S 2019 ROAD KILL REPORT FIND?
Most animals killed (between 2013 and June 2019):
Mortality count by month:
Source: Read Full Article