Sad experience with small creature

[turbo]

On my way home from taking my wife to a post-op examination, we were crossing a bridge in Skowhegan and saw a beautiful mink dead in the road. I love minks, weasels, martins, and fishers. They are charming, inquisitive and personable animals.

 

[scorpa]

That is sad Turbo! I hate seeing animals hit on the road, the road was littered with skunks on the way home for easter. Even sadder is a lot of times people will hit them on purpose :(

 

[hypatia]

Awww that is aways sad. I've loved thoses species sense Marty Stouffers, Wild Americia, brought Fishers into everyones home.

 

[Astronuc]

'Tis the season as animals come out of hibernation and start looking for food and mates.

I saw a fox recently, and we're starting to see rabbits, skunks, possums and raccoons that didn't make it across the road. We've seen squirrels and deer all winter long.

It is sad to see that.

 

[Evo]

Dead animals are always so sad. I have *never* run over an animal. I keep an eye ahead and look for the glowing eyes or tell tale movements and slow down.

One late night I was going down a four lane road and a mother racoon was ferrying her kittens across in her mouth one by one. I stopped with my flashers on and blocked the middle lanes until she could finish getting them all across safely. Luckily at that time, there was no traffic, I just didn't want to risk having someone plow her under with those babies.

 

[Schrodinger's Dog]

It's the circle of life, those animals that learn to avoid cars, pass on such information. Think of it in evolutionary terms, and include the man equation. It's sad, but it is as it is. Cats seem to be particularly prone to this, I should know from personal experience, but those that survive their first few years, seem to have nine lives or so.

EDIT:

'Tis the season as animals come out of hibernation and start looking for food and mates.

Me too, bear that I am.

 

[Cyrus]

I ran over a bunny, a bird flew into my car, and I've run over a few frogs. My mom hit a deer once. I was in the car, it flew foward. It then got up and ran away limping.

We have so many deer running around here getting hit all the time.

 

[Kurdt]

I wonder if a road kill mink would make an ethical fur coat? Seems such a waste otherwise.

Terribly bad taste jokes aside, it is always a downer when one sees an animal curled up by the side of the road. I've never hit one myself but I have seen foxes and rabbits and it seems such a senseless way to go.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

On my way home from taking my wife to a post-op examination, we were crossing a bridge in Skowhegan and saw a beautiful mink dead in the road. I love minks, weasels, martins, and fishers. They are charming, inquisitive and personable animals.

I have never met anyone who hated any animal more than a mink farmer who hated minks. He describes them somewhat differently.

 

[Math Jeans]

Yeah. That is really sad.

A few years ago I remember seeing a family of quails (parents and kids) walk across the road. That was a sight.

 

[DaveC426913]

One late night I was going down a four lane road and a mother racoon was ferrying her kittens across in her mouth one by one. I stopped with my flashers on and blocked the middle lanes until she could finish getting them all across safely. Luckily at that time, there was no traffic, I just didn't want to risk having someone plow her under with those babies.

I was always taught to brake for animals but never swerve for them; you endanger your own life.

By the same logic, I would not stop my vehicle in the road if there were any danger of oncoming cars.

(That being said, it makes me wonder why, when I saw a baby bird in the middle of a two lane high-speed road, I got out of my car and dodged in and out of morning rush-hour traffic chasing it down as it flew all over the road...)

 

[~christina~]

I have to say seeing an animal already dead isn't as traumatic as actually seeing and hearing one killed right next to your car..

I was in the car and was in the backseat when we were on the highway and of course everyone was driving fast. And there was this squirrel that was trying to cross. It ran in front of my car and then decided it got spooked and ran back to the side of the road from where it came but the car next to mine um...squished it? I heard a terrible pop sound
Now that was upsetting and traumatic.

I did see a racoon that was dead once though. I didn't notice it until the car that was parked over it went away. (the racoon wasn't squished or anything I think) I didn't even recognize it as a racoon since it was huge!. I have to say it looked like a rug on the floor, just a really fluffy one. (it was the size of a golden retriever and just as fuzzy)

 

[binzing]

Yeah, sucks, but sh!t happens. I really don't care about skunks as there are SO MANY here. If you want them, please come here (San Juan County, New Mexico) and take as many as you want. I recently heard a story about a camp where the pit toilet was inhabited by a marten and a guy sat down to use it and the thing jumped out and ripped one of his balls off.

 

[turbo]

I have never met anyone who hated any animal more than a mink farmer who hated minks. He describes them somewhat differently.

You'd have to have a perverse understanding of these animals to hate them. The are very curious, smart, and intelligent. They can develop bad behaviors from being trapped in tiny cages with little or no socialization, but that is not typical of the breed.

 

[binzing]

Talk about bad habits...did you read the story I posted above?

 

[BobG]

'Tis the season as animals come out of hibernation and start looking for food and mates.

I saw a fox recently, and we're starting to see rabbits, skunks, possums and raccoons that didn't make it across the road. We've seen squirrels and deer all winter long.

It is sad to see that.

Strangest thing I've heard this Spring was a coyote in the city.

They're real common out on the prairie and always added a little something to the experience when I'd take my daughter and her telescope out there to escape the city lights. You could hear them slowly get closer and closer as their curiosity built up.

I live somewhat toward the edge of the city, but new housing over the last decade has pushed the real edge out several miles now. We do have deer and foxes in our neighborhood, but hearing a coyote before sunrise when I let my dog out in the morning was really a surprise.

My dog thought a coyote in the city was pretty interesting, too. You could tell she wasn't too sure what to think about a coyote.

 

[DaveC426913]

I have to say seeing an animal already dead isn't as traumatic as actually seeing and hearing one killed right next to your car..

I can beat that.

I was trying to rescue a dog (I originally thought it was a wild wolf, but it had a collar) that was wandering down the middle of the Trans-Canada highway, cars swerving around it.

Well, I rescued it ... right into the path of an 18-wheeler doing 60.

After ... dealing with it, I took the dog tags off, and reached the owner to tell him the bad news myself. It had gotten out through a broken gate and was a couple miles from home.

but I cannot help but feel that if I hadn't stopped and spooked it, it wouldn't have wandered in front of that truck.

 

[~christina~]

I can beat that.

I was trying to rescue a dog (I originally thought it was a wild wolf, but it had a collar) that was wandering down the middle of the Trans-Canada highway, cars swerving around it.

Well, I rescued it ... right into the path of an 18-wheeler doing 60.

After ... dealing with it, I took the dog tags off, and reached the owner to tell him the bad news myself. It had gotten out through a broken gate and was a couple miles from home.

but I cannot help but feel that if I hadn't stopped and spooked it, it wouldn't have wandered in front of that truck.

I don't know...yeah a larger splut would count as more traumatic.

I definitely wouldn't have called it's owner and told that lie to them since the person would be looking for their dog.