There should be a national law permitting the humane euthanizing of animals fatally injured by vehicles hitting them. And there should be kits made available for carry in vehicle for responsible adults with no criminal record involving misuse of drugs or other offenses that maybe some can think to add to the list.
I have seen several deer on the side of a road, or still on a road after they were hit, and they were still alive, but with multiple broken limbs and no ability to stand at all. And it was obvious in each case that the deer was fatally injured, and still conscious, and was going to die soon. But an animal in such condition should not have to suffer for minutes or hours before it dies. In Pennsylvania any citizen with a permit to carry can not just put such an animal out of its misery without breaking some laws. Only police officers, rangers, vets, and a very few others can do that without breaking laws. And they are not always readily available. There should be kits containing drugs and jab sticks ( possibly a stick system that is carried collapsed and easily and quickly put together ) enabling the administrating of a first dose of meds, and if done with a two dose system also containing a second final dose that could be administered at close range after the animal is sedated and feeling no pain. And these drugs should be chosen so they can be stored for long times in hot and cold vehicles. It would OK if they were dehydrated and had to be rehydrated if that aided in there shelf life with the temperatures they would see. As long it they were quick and easy to rehydrate, and it was something that could be done safely.
Such kits should be designed to contain chemicals that those who would abuse drugs would not be interested in. They should be minimum weight and size. And supplied to decent reliable people to carry for a very low cost. They should be powerful enough to put down a full size full grown buck deer, or in areas that have moose, also powerful enough to handle a moose. And the user should know in advance or with some easy and quick to follow directions, how to adjust the doses for different weight animals, from a cat to a full size deer. Police, and some others should be provided such kits. And any decent adult average citizen with a clean record should be able to attend a short class and be certified to carry such kits at low or no cost.
I have seen too many deer suffering on the road or on the side of a road over the years. Today it was a fawn that weighed about 45 Lbs. It was hit before I got there, and none of its limbs moved, but it did raise its nose off the ground about 2 inches once, which indicated that it was still alive. Last fall it was a big buck that had compound fractures of two limbs and the other two were also broken and bent in unusual angles. It too could not stand at all but was still alive. Before that it was a full grown doe that was also still alive but just barely. That one the lady who hit it was still there, and a police officer had stopped and was figuring out how to shoot it. Unfortunately there was a gas meter right by the head of the deer, and just in the wrong spot to prevent the officer from shooting it in the back of the head, which is a humane location to put down an animal, and there were houses near by and a lot of traffic still moving close by.
I wish I had some kit along to euthanize that big buck I saw last fall, and the fawn I saw today. There is room for improvement in the laws regarding this, and in some clever well thought out kits for responsible adults to carry in there vehicles.
I have seen several deer on the side of a road, or still on a road after they were hit, and they were still alive, but with multiple broken limbs and no ability to stand at all. And it was obvious in each case that the deer was fatally injured, and still conscious, and was going to die soon. But an animal in such condition should not have to suffer for minutes or hours before it dies. In Pennsylvania any citizen with a permit to carry can not just put such an animal out of its misery without breaking some laws. Only police officers, rangers, vets, and a very few others can do that without breaking laws. And they are not always readily available. There should be kits containing drugs and jab sticks ( possibly a stick system that is carried collapsed and easily and quickly put together ) enabling the administrating of a first dose of meds, and if done with a two dose system also containing a second final dose that could be administered at close range after the animal is sedated and feeling no pain. And these drugs should be chosen so they can be stored for long times in hot and cold vehicles. It would OK if they were dehydrated and had to be rehydrated if that aided in there shelf life with the temperatures they would see. As long it they were quick and easy to rehydrate, and it was something that could be done safely.
Such kits should be designed to contain chemicals that those who would abuse drugs would not be interested in. They should be minimum weight and size. And supplied to decent reliable people to carry for a very low cost. They should be powerful enough to put down a full size full grown buck deer, or in areas that have moose, also powerful enough to handle a moose. And the user should know in advance or with some easy and quick to follow directions, how to adjust the doses for different weight animals, from a cat to a full size deer. Police, and some others should be provided such kits. And any decent adult average citizen with a clean record should be able to attend a short class and be certified to carry such kits at low or no cost.
I have seen too many deer suffering on the road or on the side of a road over the years. Today it was a fawn that weighed about 45 Lbs. It was hit before I got there, and none of its limbs moved, but it did raise its nose off the ground about 2 inches once, which indicated that it was still alive. Last fall it was a big buck that had compound fractures of two limbs and the other two were also broken and bent in unusual angles. It too could not stand at all but was still alive. Before that it was a full grown doe that was also still alive but just barely. That one the lady who hit it was still there, and a police officer had stopped and was figuring out how to shoot it. Unfortunately there was a gas meter right by the head of the deer, and just in the wrong spot to prevent the officer from shooting it in the back of the head, which is a humane location to put down an animal, and there were houses near by and a lot of traffic still moving close by.
I wish I had some kit along to euthanize that big buck I saw last fall, and the fawn I saw today. There is room for improvement in the laws regarding this, and in some clever well thought out kits for responsible adults to carry in there vehicles.