Everyone has seen it: a dead or injured animal on the side of the (fast) road. A motorist saved the life of a hit deer on the A50 motorway on Wednesday night. What should you do if you hit an animal? Or if you see a dead or injured animal lying along the road?
Imagine you hit a dog on the highway and the animal is injured. Then you can call the Animal Ambulance directly or call a central control room of the local animal ambulances in Brabant (085-2738899).
“We support local animal ambulances throughout Brabant 24 hours a day,” says Rens van Lieshout. He is one of twenty volunteer dispatchers at the control room. “Depending on the situation, we take action. If the dog is injured, we call in an animal ambulance or take the animal to a vet.”
Nature cleans up cadaver
If the animal is dead, this is reported to the road manager. Rijkswaterstaat is responsible for the highways, the province for the provincial roads and the municipality for all minor roads.
Van Lieshout: “They ensure that a cadaver is taken to another place”, Van Lieshout describes the working method. “Many cadavers are returned to nature. Nature then clears it up further. The cadaver is put out of sight.”
Register animals
According to Van Lieshout, road authorities do register what kind of game is found on the roads. He gives a badger as an example: “Is it male or female, is the animal chipped or not, etc. Then the animal goes back into nature.”
If an animal is injured, it is taken to a specialist veterinarian. “Not every vet has knowledge of certain animals. The province has also designated three special locations to receive injured wild animals: Zundert, Someren and Ravenstein. The animals are taken there by road authorities, animal ambulances or private individuals for care.
Van Lieshout has a few more tips:
- Own safety first.
- After a collision with an animal on the highway, always call 112. They will take care of the further handling and possibly also the animal ambulance.
- Do not take action on the road yourself.
- Always report to the police in the event of a collision with an animal. If you drive on you could be accused of driving on after an accident.
- If you have any questions, please contact the central control room (085-2738899) or call 144 (only available between 09:00 and 17:00).
READ ALSO: Dewi and Jacky stop on A50 and save a deer: ‘You won’t leave that lying around, will you?’