Morgan Bellwallaby in the headlights - some thoughts on night driving
September 18th 2008 16:06
driving along a highway (or freeway) after midnight is one of my favourite things to do, there are few other cars on the road and everything feels so crisp and clear . . . you can drive fast, really fast, and all the reflectors look so beautiful lit up by your headlights
i went on one such drive tonight, cruising along having a jolly old time - complete solitude
*exhale*
i drove for about an hour and only passed about four cars . . . when i see the headlights of a car coming in the other direction i dip my high beams until they pass out of courtesy . . . you feel like the king (or queen) of the road!
but there are a few casualties of night driving, especially on country roads, and a dodged a few carcasses along the way . . . rabbits and wallabys mostly . . . ive never hit one myself, but strewn along the roadside are a collection of dead bodies of the native animals that have come out for a feed or a wander
when i see the first flattened corpse it sharpens my senses and i pay extra attention to the road incase any little critters jump out
i see a car approaching from the opposite directions and dim my lights, as their headlights draw closer to mine a silhouette pops up out of nowhere and BANG the other car plows it down . . . no swerve . . . instant carnage!
it was and small wallaby in the opposite lane, he was hunched over looking as something on the asphalt and the car came upon him with such speed that he only had enough time to straighten into an upright position and turn his head . . . it all happened in seconds and by the time the noise resonated in my ears i was hundreds of metres away
i looked back in the rear view mirror and the death-mobile had not stopped, it was still flying along, it hadnt even slowed, the break lights hadnt even lit up . . . it was almost like he had aimed for it
the last thing that wallaby saw was a bright light and then his little life was snuffed out
i found myself thinking "what must animals think of these roads, and these big chunks of metals hurtling along them?"
for the perspective of the animal it must seem that humans have carved out these sprawling death canals . . . we sever the expanse of their habitat with our blazing trails and mow them down at speeds they can not possibly comprehend or anticipate
if you travel on the "Spirit of Tasmania" ferry to visit our triangular isle they often present info sessions on the native wildlife and how to preserve the endangered Tasmanian Devil - they ask tourists to avoid driving at night because thats when the little carnivores scour the sides of the highways for roadkill to feast on . . . ive never seen a Tazzy Devil but when i saw the untimely fate of the midnight wallaby the community service announcement flashed back to me
one of my parents cats went missing last week, presumed dead on the highway but we cannot locate the body . . . some neighbours testify to having seen the deceased remains but they mysteriously disappeared before my parents could identify them
when i try to put myself into the shoes of an animal looking at a big black road i really cannot imagine what they must think they are . . . they dont resemble any other naturally occurring structure . . . no wonder they are so unsuccessful at traversing them!
makes you think . . .
i went on one such drive tonight, cruising along having a jolly old time - complete solitude
*exhale*
i drove for about an hour and only passed about four cars . . . when i see the headlights of a car coming in the other direction i dip my high beams until they pass out of courtesy . . . you feel like the king (or queen) of the road!
but there are a few casualties of night driving, especially on country roads, and a dodged a few carcasses along the way . . . rabbits and wallabys mostly . . . ive never hit one myself, but strewn along the roadside are a collection of dead bodies of the native animals that have come out for a feed or a wander
when i see the first flattened corpse it sharpens my senses and i pay extra attention to the road incase any little critters jump out
i see a car approaching from the opposite directions and dim my lights, as their headlights draw closer to mine a silhouette pops up out of nowhere and BANG the other car plows it down . . . no swerve . . . instant carnage!
it was and small wallaby in the opposite lane, he was hunched over looking as something on the asphalt and the car came upon him with such speed that he only had enough time to straighten into an upright position and turn his head . . . it all happened in seconds and by the time the noise resonated in my ears i was hundreds of metres away
i looked back in the rear view mirror and the death-mobile had not stopped, it was still flying along, it hadnt even slowed, the break lights hadnt even lit up . . . it was almost like he had aimed for it
the last thing that wallaby saw was a bright light and then his little life was snuffed out
i found myself thinking "what must animals think of these roads, and these big chunks of metals hurtling along them?"
for the perspective of the animal it must seem that humans have carved out these sprawling death canals . . . we sever the expanse of their habitat with our blazing trails and mow them down at speeds they can not possibly comprehend or anticipate
if you travel on the "Spirit of Tasmania" ferry to visit our triangular isle they often present info sessions on the native wildlife and how to preserve the endangered Tasmanian Devil - they ask tourists to avoid driving at night because thats when the little carnivores scour the sides of the highways for roadkill to feast on . . . ive never seen a Tazzy Devil but when i saw the untimely fate of the midnight wallaby the community service announcement flashed back to me
one of my parents cats went missing last week, presumed dead on the highway but we cannot locate the body . . . some neighbours testify to having seen the deceased remains but they mysteriously disappeared before my parents could identify them
when i try to put myself into the shoes of an animal looking at a big black road i really cannot imagine what they must think they are . . . they dont resemble any other naturally occurring structure . . . no wonder they are so unsuccessful at traversing them!
makes you think . . .
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