Eligible species include deer, turkeys, squirrels, rabbits, and raccoons.
Kill a critter with your car? No reason to let that carcass go to waste.
Rhode Islanders can now keep their roadkill after the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) recently announced a new regulation that allows the public to collect certain wildlife species killed in vehicle collisions.
The recently-passed legislation gives DEM more flexibility to address wildlife vehicle collisions, enabling the public to salvage deer or other wildlife with a permit.
Officials say this approach makes use of an underutilized resource and eases the burden on state staff removing carcasses.
A permit is required within 24 hours of collecting wildlife struck by a vehicle. To receive a permit, the public must report the species, estimated age and sex, a photo, and location.
Eligible species include white tailed deer, turkeys, beavers, coyotes, fishers, red and gray foxes, muskrats, pheasants, squirrels, rabbits, and racoons.
Fisher and foxes have additional requirements found in the regulations on the reporting webpage.
Reports can be submitted via the form at www.dem.ri.gov/wildlife-salvage-permit or by leaving a message at 401-789-0281 with the required information.
Before salvaging roadkill, officials said the public should prioritize safety and follow traffic laws.
The animal may be field dressed before it’s removed, but parts cannot be left behind, which is a violation of state law and risks attracting other wildlife.
The permit allows the possession of one animal killed only by vehicular collision — each individual animal requires its own unique permit.
The new legislation expands reporting requirements to include most wildlife collisions that cause significant vehicle damage, not just deer. This ensures that all vehicle collisions involving wildlife are reported to DEM.
Reporting helps DEM’s Division of Fish & Wildlife track populations and improve highway safety.
Road-killed animals may not be tagged with hunting tags, and injured animals cannot be killed for salvage, though law enforcement may euthanize and allow salvage.
Last year, DEM received 1,347 reports of deer vehicle collisions.
