Roadkill - it's what's for dinner

Sofia Johnson holds up part of a roadkill doe at her home in Minnetonka in 2022. (Shari L. Gross/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Excerpts from an article in the Minnesota Star Tribune:

"... roadkill in Minnesota typically ends up in one of three places — it could land in a shallow roadside grave, in a special compost heap or on someone’s dinner table...

Once the crews arrive at the scene, they check to see if they can take care of it on-site. They often simply put the remains in the ditch. They might cover it up with organic material like wood chips, mulch or dirt... This isn’t possible in some metro locations. So MnDOT has a special deer composting area in Anoka where crews dump the roadkill...

Minnesota is one of about two dozen states that allow the public to pick up roadkill. Here, it’s free. But prospective meat-gleaners need a wildlife possession permit first.  The DNR gets permit requests from people who hit the animal with their own vehicle as well from those who just spotted it on the side of the road, said DNR spokesperson Joe Albert.

“So long as the animal isn’t federally protected, such as a waterfowl or a wolf, and there’s no reason to believe something occurred other than the animal getting hit by a vehicle, people will be issued a permit,” he said.

Conservation officers have issued 1,149 permits so far in 2024, he said. Other state, county and municipal law enforcement groups can also issue permits — and some have lists of regular roadkill enthusiasts they call when a dead animal is spotted...

Others bring roadkill to places such as the Bell Museum. As part of the St. Paul natural history museum’s project called “Salvage Wildlife,” people are asked to drop off freshly dead and intact birds and small-to-medium-sized mammals (that means no deer and no pets)."