Snakes roadkill on highways in the Cerrado biome: an intentional conduct?

• Published in: Studies on neotropical fauna and environment 2022-09, Vol.57 (3), p.198-205
• Main Authors: de Resende Assis, Jasmine, Carvalho-Roel, Carine Firmino, Iannini-Custódio, Ana Elizabeth, Pereira, Wanessa Gomes, Veloso, Aline Carneiro
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: human behavior; reptile conservation; road ecology; road mortality; Wildlife-vehicle collision
• ISSN: 0165-0521; 1744-5140
• DOI: 10.1080/01650521.2020.1844942

Much of the roadkill of wild animals is accidental, but some drivers intentionally target animals, especially those that are culturally stigmatized such as reptiles and amphibians. We aimed to evaluate the incidence of intentional snake roadkill on two highways in the Triângulo Mineiro, a Cerrado region in the Minas Gerais state, Brazil. We placed on the roadsides of each highway 40 snakes (40 pre-made models and 15 snake carcasses) and 40 plastic bottles filled with soil. The behavior of swerving the vehicle to hit the object was characterized as an intentional roadkill. Our sampling effort was 160 hours. We observed intentional roadkill, totaling 23 snakes and 12 controls hit on BR-050 highway and five snakes and five controls on MG-223 highway. Contrary to what we expected, drivers swerve to run over anything. Carcasses and models were hit with the same frequency. The characteristics of the highways influenced the number of intentional roadkill, most of them occurred on uphill lanes and were caused by trucks. Our study confirms the behavior of swerving the route to run over a wild animal as an intentional act. Therefore, measures to preserve wildlife are necessary, such as awareness campaigns and the creation of wildlife passages.