New roadkill report shows what animals are most-hit in Stamford & Rutland
Road users are being warned to watch out for wildlife
Last updated 13th Jul 2022
Road users in Stamford and Rutland are being warned to watch out for wildlife during the month that is worst on-record for roadkill reports.
Since 2017, there's been 1,827 instances of roadkill in Rutland and Lincolnshire reported to The Splatter Project.
However, those are only the recorded figures, with the actual number likely much higher.
See the breakdown of reported roadkill instances in Rutland and Lincolnshire:
- 2017: 470
- 2018: 140
- 2019: 496
- 2020: 386
- 2021: 223
- 2022 (so far): 112
- What species have been hit and killed the most in Rutland and Lincolnshire since 2017:
- Badger: 359
- Pheasant: 236
- Rabbit: 185
- Hedgehog: 183
- Fox: 106
- Wood Pigeon: 100
- Brown Hare: 75
- Grey Squirrel: 70
- Muntjac Deer: 47
- Blackbird: 43
A deadly period
Sarah Raymond, a researcher from the Splatter Project, said that records show 'July has the most roadkill reports when looking across the entirety of the UK and for all years, with most of the data being recorded from 2013 onwards.'
Amy Ducker, a team leader at Leicestershire Wildlife Hospital, says the summer months see an increase in roadkill as it's a busy period for both animal species and road-users:
'Normally in the summer there is more roadkill than in the winter, more animals about obviously a lot of birds and mammals have had their young and they're all out and about as well. Because a lot of people are on their holidays they're using the roads as well - that impacts the number of animals that are being hit.'
If hitting an animal is unavoidable, Amy says you shouldn't ignore it if there's a chance it will survive:
If it's safe to do so stop and pick the animal up and put it in a box, and then bring to either us or a local wildlife rescue or a local vet. If it's not safe to get out but you see it, if it's on a main road you can report it to the police or the RSPCA.