Saw something horrible last night on the way to work :(

[luckies4me]

This is the first time I have seen this happen. I was on my way to work when I saw a squirrel get hit on the side of the rode. After the car was gone I saw him in the street just convulsing. I told Dan to pull over, I was NOT going to leave him in the middle of the road. So I jumped out and got my sweater but when I got to him he was already dead. I'm not going to go into detail but he didn't look too good. I grabbed him by his little feetsies and set him next to a tree. I just couldn't let people run over him, even if he was already dead. I felt so bad and was trying not to cry. He was so young still. While I was carrying him off the road the cars stopped for me and one lady thanked me for taking him off the street, which was really nice. Everyone else could have cared less.

So since I was about 15 minutes early I sat in the car and a crow came by and started picking at him. Dan said I saved a life because the crow would have been picking at him IN the road, but instead he was safe to eat what I had brought him away from cars. Witnessing the food chain sucks, but in a way I felt happy the crow got to eat.

[ILoveMyAbbyGirl]

Yeah, a lot of people move deceased animals to the edge of the road or grass to avoid other animals being hit. You did a good thing, be very proud that you maybe saved another animals life by moving the baby squirrel.

I always make my parents slow down when we approach an animal in the road to reduce the risk of hitting them.

Be happy, Cass.

[catlover4ever]

Cass, you did do a good thing. I too can not stand to see an animal in the road. I will get out and try to move as many as I can.

I need to have a bumper sticker that says "Don't get too close I brake for EVERY animal" I swear in the early morning the birds have a death wish. It's no wonder I need new brakes in the car.

[luckies4me]

I hate when I see people speed up on purpose!!!

I think that would be a great bumper sticker to have on the car! Once, when Dan was riding his bike to work a squirrel ran out right in front of him. He had to swerve and almost crashed LOL. I was happy to hear he didn't just keep going.

[catlover4ever]

My husband Mark has a real soft spot for turtles. If we are driving together and we see a turtle crossing the road we pull over and make sure the turtle gets across OK. We have to be careful for the snapping turtles as they are very aggressive and can actually take your fingers off so we always keep heavy duty gloves with us.

[ramanth]

Sorry you saw that. I brake for everything...even frogs!

I saved a snapper yesterday, catloverforever! He was actually nice to me (no hissing).

(what I wrote in my LJ)
Looked up Michigan snappers and it's breeding time for them now. Makes sense since as I was on my way home, there was a snapper trying to cross a busy road. I stopped and helped him across. (Grabbed his tail and dragged him to the other side and put him in some marshy reeds.) He was about the size of a dinner plate. I think local drivers found it amusing that a girl in a skirt and heels was wrangling a snapper. "Crikey!" *laughs*

[Desert Arabian]

Oh man, Cass, I feel so bad that you had to see that.


I saw a fawn get hit by a car once when I was little. That was a terrifying event in my life. My dad "put it to sleep" to ends its suffering. The fawn tried to jump over the car hood, but hit its back legs on the car and broke them. We called the police for them to come euthanize the deer but they were taking too long and I was freaking out so my dad stepped in instead.

I have a soft spot for turtles too, I ALWAYS pull over and move turtles out of the road. I rescued a turtle from the freeway the other day, it was def. heading for death- trying to cross a 6 line highway- um, I don't think so!

A car purposely sped up and hit my neighbors German Shepherd, right in front of my own eyes, that was another terrifying event in my life. I don't even want to talk about that, that ordeal will haunt me for the rest of my life.

Poor animals, I always feel so bad when I see them on the side of the road- especially peoples pets on the side of the road- when I see dogs I break down- I can't handle it at all.

RIP little squirrely!

[CatMama78]

Awww, that's really sad. I'm sorry - how traumatizing. But you did so much more than most by moving his poor little body. You are very kind

[Karen]

Remmember when saving turtles to put them across the the road in the direction they are already heading. If you put them back, they'll just start again when you've moved on. We have built roads in tuirtles' ancient traditional migratory paths, it's not their fault.

Thank you for moving the squirrel out of the road. it's so so sad, but we see squirrel pancakes around here, run over and over ... on streets too busy for crows to even attempt a meal.

[catlover4ever]

Originally posted by Karen
Remmember when saving turtles to put them across the the road in the direction they are already heading. If you put them back, they'll just start again when you've moved on. We have built roads in tuirtles' ancient traditional migratory paths, it's not their fault.

Your right it's not their fault. Mark always asks me "Which way was he going????"

[animal_rescue]

That's a very good thing you did!!
I have a happy story you'll enjoy!
One day when my mom was driving down
the road a bird was sitting in the middle of the
road bathing in the sun and my mom honked its horn
but he wouldn't move so my mom got out picked him up
(not with her bare hands) and moved him to the side
of the road.
She said he peeped at her!
I think that's cute

[bluekat]

Oh Cass, sorry you had to see that But that was a very nice thing for you to do. I have never actually seen an animal get hit by a car before, but I hope I will never get a chance to Roadkill makes me very sad whenever I see it, I would just cry if I saw an animal actually get hit right in front of my eyes.

[DJFyrewolf36]

I know how you feel Cass, all too often I see critters getting hit *especially by stupid irisponsible people in 4 wheel drive trucks on dirt roads* When Im out in my 4 X 4 I break for ANYTHING I see in the road, even field mice (almost gave myself whiplash a time or two but its well worth it). Im glad you moved the little guy, some dim bulb would have hit that crow if you hadn't *a lot of crows get hit out here picking roadkill, people speed up on purpose*

[K9soul]

It is always so upsetting to see things like this. I have seen a dog get hit, and a cat get hit, and box turtles get hit when I lived in Missouri. Every time it upset me deeply. I used to stop and move the turtles too whenever I could.

The only thing I know of that I have hit myself was some sort of lizard when I was on my way to work in Branson, MO. I didn't see it till it was totally too late, and the road was hilly and dangerous with no real shoulders (Ozark Mtn roads). I saw it flopping around in my rearview and felt sick and distressed the rest of the day. I have never forgotten it either.

I'm glad you were able to move the body. I hate seeing them get hit over and over and like you said, maybe hitting other animals that are drawn to it as a meal.

[luckies4me]

Thanks everyone, you have definitely made me feel better. I too hate seeing anything get hit. Here around town we have tons of wild Ducks and Canada Geese and all too often you see them in the road, some mating pairs. It's just very distressing to witness it so much. Though squirrels are tiny, I still get as upset over them as a cat and dog. Animals just don't deserve to die that way. I am glad the crow got to eat where he was safe. I love crows!