LANDER, Wyo. — One state is using mobile technology to alert those who appreciate the acquired taste of roadkill and in turn, trying to make the local environment safer for wildlife.
This winter, Wyoming rolled out an app that tracks roadkill and allows residents to claim a carcass, The Associated Press reported. While approximately 30 states allow people to collect roadkill for food, the app is considered to be innovative, the AP reported.
According to the Wyoming Game & Fish Department, 15% of all car crashes in the state are with wildlife. A whopping 85% of those crashes involve mule deer. In total, 6,000 animals are killed each year on Wyoming roads, according to the AP.
The roadkill reporting and collecting features can be found on Wyoming’s 511 mobile app. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department and the Wyoming Department of Transportation manage the coordination of the service. Authorization to claim roadkill can be done via the app. There are other state rules in place around the collection of roadkill, such as it can only be collected during daylight hours and that roadkill cannot be donated to nonprofit agencies.
Safety, of both wildlife and those claiming roadkill, is of utmost importance, according to state officials. Geolocation tags will help identify areas where roadkill are most often found, allowing highway officials to install signs to reduce the amount of wildlife being killed on area roads. The app will also help track and limit the spread of diseases, such as chronic wasting disease, which is commonly found in deer.
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