Animals along ‘slaughter alley’ get a rest

Everyone is looking for silver linings in these dark days, as the Covid-19 virus cuts an inexorable swathe through the county. For the local fauna, at least, human sheltering in place is very, very good news.

Tens of millions of animals are killed along New York’s roadways each year. Clearing away the roadkill is the responsibility of several state and local departments, according to media spokesman Stephen Canzoneri, of the state Department of Transportation. “It depends on who owns the road,” he said.

The Department of Environmental Conservation has its hand in as well. But since traffic has come to a virtual standstill, roadways like the Wantagh State Parkway, normally a “slaughter alley” for animals and humans alike, is almost entirely clear of the sad carcasses of animals that tried unsuccessfully to get to the proverbial other side of the road.

In one recent afternoon cruising up and down one of the most destructively lethal sections of the parkway, only one animal carcass was seen. From its desiccated appearance, it had been there for some time. 

No agency keeps exact records of the total number of animals killed along Nassau County’s roadways. Nationally, though, an estimated 10 million deer meet their demise at motorists’ hands each year, according to Maria Christina Lalonde, in an article for Wide Open Eats, an organization that seeks to educate on a variety of noncommercial dining opportunities.

Harvesting roadkill for food is legal in 27 states, including New York — with a permit. “Animal rights activists and foodies alike hail roadkill as one of the most ethical and environmentally friendly meats,” Lalonde proclaimed. “Advocates point out that these animals were not raised or killed for food, and argue [that] letting people harvest roadkill makes use of a valuable free-range protein source that would otherwise go to waste.”

“Roadkill is free of the antibiotics, hormones, and growth stimulants found in factory-farmed meat,” Lalonde wrote. “And many roadkill species — including elk, deer, boar, and certain game birds — are pretty darn tasty, and sell for quite a bit when farm-raised, packaged and offered in stores.”

Lalonde would be more likely to find raccoons, squirrels, Canada geese and various species of house pets along Nassau’s roadways. In any case, those animals have caught a break — for now.