Dead badger tarred over by road contractors near Ballynahinch
- Published
The incident occurred on Wednesday on the Glassdrumman Road in Ballynahinch
A dead badger was covered in tar and gravel by contractors who did not see its remains, the Department of Infrastructure has confirmed.
The incident occurred on Wednesday on the Glassdrumman Road in Ballynahinch.
The department said the contractor did not notice the "remains of a badly decomposed animal at the roadside".
It said the incident was brought to its attention and the contractor "will return to the location to assess if any further remedial work is required".
DUP councillor Alan Lewis said it appeared that the road workers had not seen the badger but they should have checked the road.
He added that he had been in contact with the Department for Infrastructure in order to find a solution.
The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) said that it was made aware of the dead badger by a member of the public on Tuesday.
'Unsuitable for collection'
A spokesperson said: "Daera carry out a tuberculosis survey on badgers which are killed by recent road-traffic accidents and [are] notified, where the carcass is in a suitable condition to be collected and tested."
However, the department ascertained that the badger had been dead for several days and, due to its stage of decomposition, was therefore "unsuitable for collection as part of the TB Badger Road traffic survey".
The spokesperson added: "The local council responsible for collection from public roads in this area was notified that same afternoon and was requested to collect the carcass."
Local resident Melvyn Dorman said the badger had been at the side of the road for "around a week".
He described the decision to resurface the road without removing the animal as "unbelievable".
Mr Dorman added that it had left a "big bump" in the road and described the smell as "horrendous".
A spokesperson for Newry, Mourne and Down District Council said they received a request to remove a dead badger from Glassdrumman Road on 30 May.
"The council aims to remove dead badgers from the roadside as quickly as possible and within approximately 48 hours. The resurfacing work took place before the council had an opportunity to remove it."