FOOD & DRINK
Addressing the Stigma
There may be a stigma that surrounds harvesting roadkill. Hoenes does admit that he was a bit uneasy at first when he salvaged a roadkill deer. “There was … definitely that feeling of, ‘oh my gosh, it feels wrong to be eating roadkill,’” Hoenes says. “I think it’s something different. I think there’s that element of unknown that makes you feel uneasy.” Hoenes explains that he was notified from family members on a drive to town that they had seen a roadkill deer. Hoenes then went to look for the animal himself, unsure of what to expect. Keegan Carlson, senior Integrated Energy Management major, explains that he has been around roadkill animals before. Carlson helped me to salvage two deer and I have since shared some of the meat with him. Carlson believes that salvaging roadkill is beneficial to prevent ‘great meat’ from going to waste. “Also, if you hit the deer with your car and your car gets damaged, you have the opportunity to pay off that damage,” he explains. “The money you were going to use to purchase meat over the next year or so can now be used to repair your car.” After trying roadkill meat for himself, Carlson was convinced that he could salvage animals in the future. “The meat was great,” Carlson says. “It was honestly one of the best meals I have ever had.” People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals’ (PETA) website suggests that harvesting roadkill for consumption is ethical. PETA President Ingrid Newkirk mentions in a statement to PULSE that PETA “has no ethical objection” to legally obtaining roadkill for table fare. Newkirk adds that for people who decide to consume meat, roadkill game would provide a superior option of meat than that from the store.
Wildlife Police Sergeant Carlo Pace. “Only a law enforcement official can go out and dispatch deer for safety reasons.” Pace also explains that the salvage tag is only for harvesting roadkill animals. “Your [hunting] tag is still good for whatever season you have purchased it for,” he says. “And the road salvage permit is completely separate from any hunting season or tags a person might have.” He explains that all of the salvaged animals must be removed from the roadway. This prevents scavengers from posing any further collision danger to motorists. Pace says that this would defeat the purpose of having the salvage Tips to Avoid Hitting Deer permit in the first place. Pace also points out that people should be Experiencing a deer-vehicle collision isn’t just aware of salvaging deer or elk that have ear tags. about salvaging meat. Striking a deer with a These types of tags indicate that the animal was vehicle is a very serious and expensive endeavor. “You know the average wildlife vehicle collidrugged for some sort of testing and may have sion with a deer costs about $8,000 per person tainted meat. Use your best judgement when deciding to per collision,” Kalisz says. “And that number does salvage an animal, suggests Hoenes. Consider if have the very high cost of the occasional fatality the meat seems compromised from bone frag- rolled into it, but still is an average cost of the deer vehicle collision.” ments or rumen contents before salvaging. Source: American Zoologocail Association 44
SPRING 2020 | ISSUE TWO
