When life gives you a deer cadaver…
“It turns out – if it’s on your private land (the City of Livonia) won’t come collect it, but if it’s on city property, they will,” [Livonia resident Laura] Engelland said. “So we helped drag the poor guy to the street.”
The issue of dead deer in yards has become a common one. To address this, the City of Livonia recently released a memo emphasizing that homeowners are responsible for managing the disposal of deer carcasses found on their property – which aligns with the policies of many other municipalities.
Can you imagine the scene?
- A deer dies for whatever reasons on city property.
- It’s reported by a concerned resident.
- City workers then silently drive to the site at 3a.m. and drag the cadaver into an unsuspecting random resident’s yard or lawn.
- Pranked resident calls the city.
- City says “it’s your problem.”
- Punked resident and friends drag the cadaver out into the street.
- GOTO 2
But remember, kids…this is America, where the enterprising among us see opportunity where mere mortals see city apathy, maggot farms and carrion-eating scavengers and vermin!
As a result, Gary Cornellier with Respectful Removal LLC found his niche. He disposes of dead deer for a living.
For 10 years, Cornellier has been removing the carcasses himself – and he’s busier than ever.
TBH, I’m not slamming the guy; he got disgusted repeatedly seeing the roadkill and no municipal assistance. My beef (or venison in this case) is with the City of Livonia and other cities that shirk their civic responsibilities.
Seriously, as I personally have not had the unpleasant experience…
- How does your municipality handle such situations?
- Wouldn’t you expect that carcass removal be part of a municipal responsibility to its residents, like garbage disposal or animal control?
Are you simply being sarcastic or are you genuinely unfamiliar with the fact that it isn’t unusual for a small town to be organized in the way I described? I wasn’t homeless or living in a commune. I had a nice two-bedroom house in a town of approximately 15,000 people which did have all the things that you’re asking about.
My facetiousness interfered with the sincerity of my questions. I have lived my entire life so far in cities usually with populations at least as large as Livonia (circa 95,000), none of which have had private wells, septic tanks or “a dump that residents could use for free,” so to me, it is unusual for anything larger than a village to be “organized” in the way you described. Your description, though you now say you had paved roads and a street address, still leads me to believe you were living a more rustic lifestyle than I’m used to.