Wildlife collisions on roads

In the event of an accident with an animal requiring emergency assistance dial 9-1-1 to contact the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP). For non-emergencies please call 1-888-310-1122 to reach the OPP.

To report a dead animal on a County road, please call 613-267-1353.

Tips to Avoid Wildlife Collisions

Species-at-risk (SAR) mitigation

In Ontario, there are more than 200 species at risk. These plants and animals are considered by the provincial and/or federal government to be endangered, threatened or of special concern. Endangered and threatened species and their habitat are protected under the provincial Endangered Species Act and the federal Species At Risk Act. You can help protect species-at-risk by learning more about them and reporting sightings on Ontario’s species-at-risk site.

Human activities like construction can impact species-at-risk and their habitats. We want to protect species-at-risk from the impacts of maintenance and construction by:

  • timing activities to minimize harm to species-at-risk
  • preventing species-at-risk from entering the site
  • monitoring for species-at-risk

We pre-screen our construction projects and implement the necessary mitigation measures to reduce the potential of harming a species-at-risk.

Roadside turtle program

Turtles play an important role to clean and maintain pond, river, and lake ecosystems, but in Ontario, our 8 turtle species are at risk of extinction. Turtles are frequently injured and killed by cars trying to cross the road, often to find a place to nest in the spring.

Slowdown in turtle crossing zones and watch for turtles crossing the road during nesting season in May and June. Also, watch for young turtles crossing the road in the late summer and early fall when hatchlings are leaving the nest.

If you see a turtle crossing a roadway and want to help it across the road, always prioritize your own safety and the safety of other drivers. Do not stop dangerously on a curve, at an intersection or hill where there is poor visibility. Only help a turtle if it is safe to do so. When helping a turtle across the road, guide it in the direction they are going.

Injured turtles

The Ontario Turtle Conservation Center (OTCC) works with volunteers to save injured turtles and eggs. OTCC has instructions on what to do if you find an injured turtle. If you want to help an injured turtle, please contact the OTCC at 704-742-5000.

We work with volunteers for Observing, Understanding, Rescuing (OUR) Turtles to report and transport turtles injured on county roads to the OTCC.

Nest protectors

To help turtles in Lanark County, volunteers from Observing, Understanding, Rescuing (OUR) Turtles set up nest protectors along roadsides. Nest protectors prevent predators from destroying turtle nests and increase the number of surviving hatchlings. We oversee the placement of nest protectors along roadsides by OUR Turtles volunteers.

If you have turtles nesting on your property, the Canadian Wildlife Federation has instructions on how you can build your own nest protector.

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