We have all heard the joke: “Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side.” Well, this is the truth.
On June 2, a yearling bear cub attempting to cross a highway in south Springfield unfortunately didn’t make it to the other side.
The cub was initially sighted wandering around the Quail Creek subdivision, which is close to James River Freeway’s interchange with South Campbell Avenue. A vehicle hit and killed the bear cub on the freeway.
“It is estimated that Missouri has over 900 bears in the state,” Francis Skalicky, the Metro Media Specialist of the Missouri Department of Conservation Southwest Region, said.
Missouri’s bear population lives primarily south of Interstate 44, however, “bear habitats are often filled with other bears,” Skalicky said, “so bears look for plan B.”
Bears search for their own territory.
“This was a bear that was more than likely kicked out by the mother who probably already had another set of cubs, so it was looking for new territory,” Skalicky said.
The Department of Conservation was alerted about the accident and dispatched biologists and agents to the scene.
“We took some biological information,” Scalicky said. “I think we drew blood. We actually drew some teeth — that will also show you the health of a bear. We try to always gather information about the overall health of Missouri’s bear population. In some cases, the bear can be used for educational purposes.”
In this case, the cub’s body was not able to be used for educational purposes because of the accident and was disposed of.
As the southwest Missouri bear population continues to grow, bears can fall victim to becoming roadkill.
“Look out for bears,” Skalicky said. “The incident we had last week — the bear that was hit on James River Freeway — is a sign that we should be on the lookout.”
A Noah’s Ark of roadkill
Bears are not the only animals getting hit in Springfield. There are many different types of animals that fall victim to becoming “roadkill” every day. Some of these animals are capable of damaging a vehicle and injuring the driver.
According to State Farm’s website, Missouri is a state with a high likelihood of animal collisions. In 2022-2023, the state’s likelihood of having an insurance claim involving a collision with an animal is 1 in 76. These numbers explain why the state ranks No. 16 out of the 50 states for insurance claims involving an animal.
Animals that are often victims of a car collision in Missouri include squirrels, turtles, racoons, opossums, skunks, armadillos, owls, deer and, now, bears.
“You can drive any highway in Missouri, and you will probably see a deer that's been hit; you will see an armadillo that's been hit; and you will see a turtle that’s been hit,” Skalicky said. “So, on one hand, that’s a sign that we have abundant wildlife here in Missouri; but on the other hand, that is a sign that whenever you are driving, you need to keep your eyes open for wildlife crossing the road.”
An April 5 press release from the Missouri Department of Conservation by Jill Pritchard said, “MDC says slow down and give turtles a brake.” This release was all about how turtles cross the road for food and mates. These tiny, cold-blooded creatures with hard shells are looking for warm places, and the blacktop of a road is one of the places they choose to warm themselves.
“You always hear about deer movement in the fall because that is their mating season,” Skalicky said. “You may hear about turtle movement in the spring because that is when they are looking for places to lay eggs and for new territories. Movement is a part of wildlife’s annual routine at any time of the year.”
Squirrels are also commonly hit on roadways.
“To an animal, a road is just another piece of ground to cross,” Skalicky said. “They don’t realize that there is a vehicle coming.”
Another common roadkill animal is the raccoon, also known as the “trash panda.” These animals are the size of a large cat with a black mask over their eyes and black rings along their tail. They are primarily seen at dawn and dusk — prime time to be hit by cars.
“Always keep an eye out for wildlife in the early morning hours and right around sunset and after sunset,” Skalicky said.
Opossums are easily identified and are also common roadkill. They are covered in coarse fur, have a white-cream colored face, grayish body, pink nose and hands, and they have a long tail that has the ability to hold them onto tree branches. These creatures are known to play dead when threatened.
Animal collisions can cause harm
Skunks are often smelled before they are seen on the sides of roads. Skunks are covered in black fur with their signature white stripes down their backs. When threatened, they produce a noxious smell from the glands that are located at the base of their tail.
Another common roadkill animal is one that does have the ability to damage a vehicle — the armadillo. In Missouri, the type of armadillo that can be found is the nine-banded armadillo. These animals are covered in plates and, according to the MDC website, “two large plates with a series of 9 smaller moveable ‘girdles’ or ‘bands’ around the midsection.”
While an armadillo may seem like a relatively small animal in comparison to a vehicle, Skalicky said that hitting one can cause smaller or lighter cars to lose traction or veer off the road, causing damage.
“An armadillo may seem like a relatively small animal but to some vehicles,” Skalicky said, “especially if your car is smaller or lighter that could cause some problems, too. It could cause you to lose traction. You could veer off the road, that can cause damage to your car.”
While an accident with an owl is less likely, it happens. Owls are predators that hunt at night and will often dive down from the air to the ground to retrieve prey, which is often roadkill. Whenever an owl dives, it isn’t watching for cars.
“Owls aren’t as wise as folklore,” Skalicky said.
One of the most common and most damaging animals that falls victim to motor accidents is deer.
“If you hit a deer and want to keep the meat, you need to call the Department of Conservation,” Skalicky said. “We can give you a permit to do that.”
Animal collisions are rarely called into the police department. However, they still can be reported.
“If someone hits an animal and were to call 911, an officer would be dispatched if any persons sustained injuries, the vehicle is inoperable and/or the animal needs to be moved from the road,” Cris Swaters, the Public Affairs Officer at the Springfield Police Department, said. “If no persons are injured, the vehicle is operable, and the animal is not in the middle of the road, the caller would be advised to come to police headquarters to complete a citizen crash report if they’d like to file a report.”
‘It is called an accident for a reason’
Wildlife movement is common, and no one can control where animals go.
“Try to avoid them if you can,” Skalicky said. “However, don’t veer off the road to avoid hitting these animals, because sometimes that leads to more vehicle and personal trouble than if you would have just hit that animal.”
While preventing all collisions with animals is impossible, there is a way to help keep yourself and your vehicle safer: stay alert while driving, especially at dawn and dusk. “Always keep an eye out for wildlife in the early morning hours and right around sunset and after sunset,” Skalicky said.
“From their standpoint, it is a low-light time, so they aren’t as easily seen by predators,” Slalicky said about the animals. “It is a good time for them to move about. As a driver, you need to keep in mind that at this time, animal movement is particularly high.”
