Florida dealing with Road-Kill
'Dirty Work' Tackles Road Kill
SANFORD, Fla. -- Maybe in your busy world, you don't even notice the lives lost almost daily -- the bodies lying by the side of the road.
But the squashed, rotting critters' remains makes for some dirty work for the people at Seminole County Animal Control.
The workers use plastic bags to pick up the remains, and there's plenty of hand sanitizer once the job is completed.
They wear orange vests to avoid being hit by cars themselves.
It's the stench that can sometimes cause problems during the cleanup duty."If the smell bothers you, Vicks Vapor Rub to rub under your nose ... if you feel the need to,"
Seminole County Animal Control representative Shari Covell said.
A flock of buzzards provides clues as to the location of dead animals.
But why would Animal Control interfere when nature is doing the job?"
A lot of times, vultures can cause a traffic hazard for people.
People will slam on the brakes to keep from hitting them or swerve around them and cause an accident," Covell said.
The buzzards sat up in a nearby tree and looked unhappy when their armadillo feast was interrupted.
But that may have been better than what could have happened.
"Projectile vomit. That's their defense mechanism," Covell said.
Across the county in one day, Covell picked up seven carcasses for disposal."We keep a log of all calls that we do," Covell said.
They hope to keep motorists safe by keeping the roads clear.
When the work is completed, the remains are stored in a cooler until the animals can be cremated -- the neatest way to dispose of them.
If you have dirty work for WESH 2 News reporter Dave McDaniel, use the link below to send him an e-mail.
