Dead wild animal - what next if anything?

[Steevo]

If a fox or any other wild animal dies of natural causes on your land....is there anything to say whether you have a legal obligation to do or not to do anything?

Are there any circumstances where this is different?

 

[Highland Mule]

One appeared at the roadside around here, already dead. Nothing particularly nefarious though - a manhole cover had been nicked from a BT roadside hole and a badger had fallen into the pit. Poor sod died in the bottom (drown/ exhaustion), after trying to climb out with its teeth. It was only found when the Openreach guys were investigating my broadband dropout that they found the teeth marks on the cable and the body at the bottom, whereupon they slung it out on the verge and left it there.

 

[Ffermer Bach]

Wild animals? I'm still not entirely sure what to do with a dead horse!

if it's in a stable start a thread on here asking what to do with it!

 

[Ffermer Bach]

I have heard that theory before can't figure out why on earth anyone would risk being caught with a dead badger.

and if they have died of TB, I would not want to go near it either

 

[Bogweevil]

Dead animals much in demand hereabouts when planting cider apples - a rabbit, half a fox, quarter of a deer, in the planting hole give trees a lovely start.

 

[Ffermer Bach]

we are not allowed to bury a dead animal (unless it's a pet), as apparently it is bad for the water! However, it is fine for a lorry to travel round all the farms picking up the dead animals (and spreading no end of diseases I expect, while burning fossil fuels) all to take the animals to an incinerator (which again runs on fossil fuels) and I dare say the ash then has to be disposed of to a land fill? Idiocy, but again, a system thought up by bureaucrats so not surprising!

 

[Highland Mule]

"Within 48 hours of your fallen stock being collected, it arrives at a purpose-built rendering site in Dumfries for processing. The hides are removed from bovine carcasses, which are then salted and palletised ready for use in the leather industry.

The material is then prepared for the rendering process to begin. Moisture is dried off in a disk dryer before fat (Tallow) is separated from solid elements. The fat is put through a filtration process ready to be used in the bio-diesel industry.

The solid element is pressed, leaving a dry powder called Meat and Bone Meal (Cat 1 MBM) ready to be used as a fuel for power stations or cement kilns."

North East Fallen Stock | North East Scotland | UK

We dispose of all types of fallen stock using our fleet of specialised vehicles meet the highest standards of bio-security in NE Scotland.

northeastfallenstock.co.uk

 

[Pigken]

They actually started picking them up a few years ago and doing pms if any where found you would never have heard the end of it

Know a vet who when worked down country used to pick them up and take them to place for PM s, said he got £25 a time for dropping them off.

 

[Tarw Coch]

"Within 48 hours of your fallen stock being collected, it arrives at a purpose-built rendering site in Dumfries for processing. The hides are removed from bovine carcasses, which are then salted and palletised ready for use in the leather industry.

The material is then prepared for the rendering process to begin. Moisture is dried off in a disk dryer before fat (Tallow) is separated from solid elements. The fat is put through a filtration process ready to be used in the bio-diesel industry.

The solid element is pressed, leaving a dry powder called Meat and Bone Meal (Cat 1 MBM) ready to be used as a fuel for power stations or cement kilns."

North East Fallen Stock | North East Scotland | UK

We dispose of all types of fallen stock using our fleet of specialised vehicles meet the highest standards of bio-security in NE Scotland.

northeastfallenstock.co.uk

Now there’s a job I wouldn’t want, the smell of some of the stock on the knacker wagon is pretty bad, another 48 hours at this time of year certainly wouldn’t improve it, infact a lot of the stock that isn’t bad probably wouldn’t be too good next day.

 

[Dry Rot]

Now there’s a job I wouldn’t want, the smell of some of the stock on the knacker wagon is pretty bad, another 48 hours at this time of year certainly wouldn’t improve it, infact a lot of the stock that isn’t bad probably wouldn’t be too good next day.

Olfactory fatigue. Some of the stuff I've skinned for hounds back in my teens was pretty ripe but after a while, you'll not smell it. Particularly during a period of grass sickness and no refrigeration. The hounds were never so fat.

 

[Courier]

If a fox or any other wild animal dies of natural causes on your land....is there anything to say whether you have a legal obligation to do or not to do anything?

Are there any circumstances where this is different?

Went down our lane at about 23:00 last night and came back about 3 hours later and there is a dead badger (possibly pregnant) lying in the lane, no visible sign of injury.

We know they have a sett and are undermining the side of the railway cutting (83’ deep) where our lane runs alongside and first arrived about 5 to 10 years ago and have reported them to the Railway Authorities.

I haven’t had cattle for the last 20 years and we are in a mainly arable area but there are a few cattle around.

Should I tell Defra or just bung it in a bin ?

 

[Highland Mule]

Went down our lane at about 23:00 last night and came back about 3 hours later and there is a dead badger (possibly pregnant) lying in the lane, no visible sign of injury.

We know they have a sett and are undermining the side of the railway cutting (83’ deep) where our lane runs alongside and first arrived about 5 to 10 years ago and have reported them to the Railway Authorities.

I haven’t had cattle for the last 20 years and we are in a mainly arable area but there are a few cattle around.

Should I tell Defra or just bung it in a bin ?

I wouldn’t do either.

 

[Courier]

I wouldn’t do either.

Oh forgot to say, it’s also a daily well used public bridle way and the binmen have now kicked it into the hedge bottom.

 

[Jackov Altraids]

An interesting piece from the BBC Future Planet section on the importance of death in a natural environment

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210817-rewilding-death-germanys-plan-to-restore-the-necrobiome Thoughts?

thefarmingforum.co.uk

 

[Highland Mule]

Oh forgot to say, it’s also a daily well used public bridle way…

Then I definitely wouldn’t want to be going near it myself in case someone jumps to the conclusion that I was in some way responsible for the demise.

 

[Hfd Cattle]

Back to the OP ....I would call the RSPCA ....waste some of their millions

 

[Lazy Sod]

It's easy enough to pick up a dead badge or deer with the loader bucket, using a dung fork to roll it in. I put them in a hedge where nobody will smell them and let nature take it's course.

 

[Cowmansam]

I tend to try and splat them with the wheel but I guess I’m just a wrongun hahah

 

[Wolds Beef]

@Dry Rot Many years ago in my young farmer days, we had a group of coloured school kids from central London visit a local school. On the wednesday evening in high summer we used to show them one or two things to do with agriculture. This particular year we took them to the local kennels of the Southwold Hunt. The old Huntsman told me to take them to the business end! I knew exactly what he meant and walked round to the Cad House. After explaining that the local farmers supplied fallen stock, and having to explain even that. I flung open the sliding door!!. You should have seen their faces. It was just before puppy show time and the next bit was fabulous to watch. John Cook took a group of hounds out into a ring and while talking about hunting and so on started to give a biscuit to a named hound calling them forward individually. How do you know all of them the kids asked. He explained. Then one kid comes forward and asks to feed one. So a biscuit and name was produced and a hound was fed. Another kid asked and the same happened! I swear there 10 Hunt supporters in central London to this day!! Plus an odd teacher or 2!!
WB

 

[Dry Rot]

@Dry Rot Many years ago in my young farmer days, we had a group of coloured school kids from central London visit a local school. On the wednesday evening in high summer we used to show them one or two things to do with agriculture. This particular year we took them to the local kennels of the Southwold Hunt. The old Huntsman told me to take them to the business end! I knew exactly what he meant and walked round to the Cad House. After explaining that the local farmers supplied fallen stock, and having to explain even that. I flung open the sliding door!!. You should have seen their faces. It was just before puppy show time and the next bit was fabulous to watch. John Cook took a group of hounds out into a ring and while talking about hunting and so on started to give a biscuit to a named hound calling them forward individually. How do you know all of them the kids asked. He explained. Then one kid comes forward and asks to feed one. So a biscuit and name was produced and a hound was fed. Another kid asked and the same happened! I swear there 10 Hunt supporters in central London to this day!! Plus an odd teacher or 2!!
WB

The foot ballers have the right idea. I don't watch football but have noticed how each player leads a young kid onto the pitch! Indoctrination at an impressionable age!
We need to be doing more of that.

 

[Agrivator]

There is a road-side restaurant in the Mid-West in the USofA which will cook your own roadkill.

It has a sign outside saying '' From your grill to ours''.