CARRION SEASONALITY AND SCAVENGING PATTERNS ALONG THE A19-MOTORWAY, NORTH YORKSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM

The current waste-disposal approach for roadkill management is seriously challenged by this research, which shows that it is an antiquated paradigm that ignores a major ecological potential. The results from the A19 road show a dynamic system in which the death of wildlife is quickly transformed into an essential resource, supporting a varied and effective scavenger community. Strong evidence that the natural cleanup services offered by species like the red fox and carrion crow are already fulfilling a function for which substantial public funds are currently allocated is provided by the documented carcass density of almost a thousand per 100 km annually and the remarkably short median persistence time of 4.2 days. This implies that a deliberate, evidence-based decrease in the removal of mechanical carcasses is both economically and environmentally sound. The primary scavengers' mostly nocturnal activity and the distinct seasonal variations in carcass abundance provide crucial information for creating a safe and efficient management plan. These ecological facts serve as the basis for the necessary paradigm change, which is to see roadkill as a part of a new ecosystem that can be wisely managed rather than just as an issue that needs to be resolved