Wildlife accidents are up despite Utah’s mild winter
Jan 6, 2025, 8:00 AM | Updated: 9:49 am
Thousands of wildlife and vehicle accidents happened last year despite the mild winter we've seen so far.
SALT LAKE — Thousands of wildlife and vehicle accidents happened last year despite the mostly mild winter we’ve seen so far.
Over 5,200 animal carcasses were picked up from Utah’s roads in 2024, but the real number of animal deaths is much higher.
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“Our carcass pickups are representative of how many animals are being hit, but we know that it’s about twice that many that are actually being hit,” said Matt Howard, Natural Resource Manager with the Utah Department of Transportation.
Since September, over 2,000 carcasses have been picked up by UDOT contractors. An increase of about 500 carcasses compared to September through December of 2023.
Howard said it doesn’t matter how mild the winter is in the valleys because it’s the upper elevation snow that leads to animal movement.
“Sometimes when we have a lot of snow in our mountains and especially the foothills, it will push the animals down to where we have roads more. Which puts them in more danger of motorists,” he said.
Migration is also caused by factors aside from snow and temperatures, such as mating season.
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“The main amount of movement happens in October, regardless of what weather events are,” said Howard.
Some safety tips to avoid animal-vehicle accidents include being extra aware when driving during dusk and dawn, slowing down in wildlife areas, and using high-beam headlights when there is no oncoming traffic.
UDOT is working on several projects to increase safety for both wildlife and drivers.
Monthly carcass numbers for 2023-2024
2024:
- January: 404
- February: 457
- March: 501
- April: 495
- May: 304
- June: 352
- July: 392
- August: 307
- September: 389
- October: 532
- November: 469
- December: 691
- Total: 5,293
2023:
- January: 536
- February: 636
- March: 439
- April: 713
- May: 194
- June: 138
- July: 179
- August: 129
- September: 165
- October: 317
- November: 539
- December: 618
- Total: 4,603
Data from Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.
