Sunday, December 14, 2008

Roadkill

While I was trying so hard to relocate the mice of my neighborhood, I managed to run over a squirrel yesterday. It made me feel just a little sick.

I’ve always amazed at how those squirrels dart out and at the last second know just when to retreat or even manage to run under a moving car unscathed.

But not so today. I wasn’t even speeding, which is slightly unusual for me. He just ran out as I slowly drove down a neighborhood street and I heard the sickening thud as my tire obviously went over him. I looked back in my rear view mirror and saw his tail moving, but he was still in the middle of the road.

As I returned from my errand, I hoped to see that he had been stunned and had managed to get up and run on across the road after I left the scene.

But alas, there was the dead squirrel in the middle of the road. It was not a gory bloody scene, but he was quite dead and his tail was now still.

It made me remember the time my father, who drove about 10 m.p.h. all the time, hit a neighbor’s dog. The dog had just run out into the street and he couldn’t stop. It seems a little worse in the scheme of things than hitting a squirrel, but a dead animal is a dead animal and it plays on your conscience in any event.

I wondered if this was one of those acorn-starved squirrels, who was so depressed about the depleted food supply that he just threw himself under my wheels. I’ll never know.

9 Comments:

Blogger Kristin said...

What irony! Killing a squirrel while releasing mice... I have to admit the acorns popped into my head, too. First thing.

9:16 AM  
Blogger Squirrel said...

That was my cousin Raymond. He was blind in one eye, so it wasn't your fault.

9:42 AM  
Blogger Pauline said...

Poor little fellow. It was change-form day for that squirrel. I hate the sound of wheels connecting with something alive and soft. I hit a fox once. It darted out in front of my car so quickly I didn't have time to brake or swerve. It turned out to be rabid but I will never forget that sickening thud.

10:05 AM  
Blogger mouse (aka kimy) said...

clearly a case of squirrel suicide.

we have a bumper crop of squirrels in my neighborhood, I'll send someone down to take raymond's place.

10:44 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

In my area, the "problem critter" is usally not mice or squirrels but rats, due to some peculiarities of this dull, suburban environment. Voluntarily taking another life ("even" rodental or arachnid) is a big deal for me, but it hasn't stop me from doing it. Lots of folks here keep a rat snap-trap on hand, me included, although I've been on hiatus from trapping since the day I went to my car (parked on the street) and saw a just-run-over rat right beside the driver's door. I wondered if the rat spirits were telling me "enough is enough," or were asking for a truce, or...Sorry about your squirrel; nothing you can do but wish it well, wherever it is!

12:29 PM  
Blogger Barbara said...

Kristin -- It's easy to blame the acorn shortage...

Squirrel -- I'm so sorry about doing in your cousin Raymond. I must say he totally disappeared over night. I imagine it was not a case of resurrection, but rather dinner for something that likes an easy find of squirrel meat.

Pauline -- Yes, it's the thud that I most remember. I can imagine a fox would make a big thud.

Squirrel -- I'm not sure what a Cleveland squirrel would make of this place!

Anon -- I even honor rats after reading "The Rats of Nimh" to my children. They were depicted as being quite intelligent.

3:29 PM  
Blogger Steve Reed said...

Sorry about the squirrel. It's always such a bad feeling to hit an animal. However, that being said, it can be virtually impossible to avoid squirrels -- they're so crazy and they dart around so much!

2:23 PM  
Blogger Barbara said...

Steve -- I can hope this is my first and last experience with killing a wild thing. I do believe it was unavoidable.

3:08 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The other night, I hit a skunk. Ugh. It was unavoidable.

Squirrels are crazy-- darting around everywhere.

I was driving a church van, behind our church bus, when a dog darted in front of me. I wasn't going to swerve and put the children in danger. I hit it, and thank goodness, only the adults in the bus saw it, not the kids. Tina

2:55 PM  

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