This morning, as I backed out of our driveway, I accidentally smashed a toad. Not aware of the incident until I returned, some thirty minutes later, I was dismayed by the carnage. It took a shovel and a hose to remove the carcass and its smeared contents from the cement.
Most humans are upset by the killing of wildlife unless it involves licensed hunting to control populations or to put food on the table. Trophy hunting is deplored by the great majority of humans, a fact that became especially evident when a renowned lion was recently killed in Africa. Even more upsetting is the poaching of wildlife to provide "therapeutic" benefits for misguided cultures across the globe.
Unfortunately, the accidental killing of wildlife along our roadways has become a rather common experience. Though most of us slow down near wildlife crossings and make every safe effort to swerve past turtles, squirrels and other critters on the road, dead animals line our travel corridors. Many shrug it off as a modern fact of life but some of us mourn their loss, especially when we were the agent of their demise.
