Millions of animals killed on Belgian roads

No fewer than eight million animals were run down on Belgian roads last year. The high number of animal casualties on Belgian roads is being linked to our dense road network.
imago stock&people

Seventy-seven volunteers on bike and on foot monitored the situation on 19,000 kilometres of road on behalf of the environment organisation Natuurpunt that has come up with the figure. Results from the volunteers on bikes suggest that 8 million animals were run down, while if estimates are based on the information from volunteers on foot the figure rises to 27 million, the dailies De Standaard and Het Nieuwsblad report.

The high number of animal casualties on Belgian roads is being linked to our dense road network. Here an animal at liberty in the wilds encounters asphalt every 300 metres. The most common casualties are toads, hedgehogs and foxes. Natuurpunt hopes the information its volunteers gathered can be used to encourage the authorities to modify the roads infrastructure and build ecoducts.

Top stories