Researchers publish 1st urban roadkill study

As a dominant bird species in East China, blackbirds are not only abundant but are also attracted to roadkill carcasses by flies or other insects along the roads, making them more susceptible to becoming roadkill themselves, he said.

May to September were the months in which vertebrates were found to be particularly vulnerable to becoming roadkill, according to the report. The animals' heightened reproductive activity in summer and autumn was cited as a possible reason.

The research found that roadkill incidents for mammals and birds also peaked in November and January. This may be due to the need for some warm-blooded animals, such as weasels, to search for food during winter when food resources are scarce, Li said. As for cats and dogs, which are fully adapted to urban life, their roadkill numbers show less fluctuation between the seasons.

The study provided the first systematic report on the roadkill carcasses of vertebrates in urban areas of China.

However, Li acknowledged that the study is still limited in terms of its data collection and analysis.

He said that the study likely underestimated the number of carcasses, but by increasing the frequency of surveys and conducting more of them on foot, more reliable experimental data could be obtained.

Of the 143 bird carcasses, the species of 90 specimens could not be identified, which made it difficult for the team to accurately assess the impact of roadkill on biodiversity.

"Roadkill has undeniably been a factor in the decline of urban animal populations and must be taken seriously," Li said. "We call on policymakers to implement relevant traffic regulations and animal protection measures, and periodically monitor the effectiveness of these measures to minimize roadkill incidents."

For example, he said, indefinite mitigation measures such as speed limits and temporary traffic controls can be implemented during peak periods of animal-vehicle collisions. For animals such as cats and dogs that frequently use the roads, fences can be erected to prevent them from entering traffic, and passageways can be built to help them cross the roads.

"Finally, we need long-term monitoring of these measures after implementation to determine their effectiveness and make timely adjustments based on actual conditions to minimize roadkill," Li said.