Roadkill Database Could Help Protect Maine’s Animals

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Maine conservationists are hopeful a new database about roadkill will protect the state's critters from becoming statistics.

The Portland Press Herald reports Maine Audubon's online database will let residents who see roadkill report the sighting. That will allow the group to identify roadkill "hotspots" that are especially dangerous for animals.

Maine Audubon is working on the effort with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife and University of California, Davis. Money for the project has been generated through the sales of Maine's loon license plates.

Proponents of the roadkill database say it could be especially helpful for protection of turtles. The slow reptiles are vulnerable to car strikes and tend to take a long time to reach reproductive age. The database could also help track deer and moose fatalities.​