The city’s road kill database reads like a chapter out of a horror story.

"Racoon was hit and crushed by a car. Currently the body smells and is exploding on the sidewalk and (sic) the foot of the property’s driveway, if you aren’t watching where you step it’s possible to step in the body."

That juicy tidbit, from Bronson Ave., was in a call to the city during the lunch hour on Aug. 10, 2014.

Or how about a caller who shared this information from Cedarwood Dr. last Dec. 29: “The cat is wrapped in xmas paper next to the Metro green box.”

Sometimes, a fallen critter will attract young spectators.

"Squished squirrel," according to one tip from Blossom Dr. last Sept. 19. "Ten kids gathered around it."

The urgency for the city to remove the animals is clear in some reports, like one from last May 27 on Iris St., where the caller wanted a dead bunny picked up because she has young children and she has had “many funerals” for dead animals before.

In the 12 months ending July 27, 2015, the city responded to 2,669 requests for dead-animal cleanup. The records the city keeps are complaints from the public, so there could be multiple complaints for one animal.

The Sun reviewed all 2,669 requests to get an idea of where animals are most likely to meet their doom in Ottawa.

The work of scraping animal remains off municipal rights of way falls to the city’s roads branch, headed by manager Luc Gagne, who explained what happens when staff are dispatched.

Workers take dead animals to designated municipal yards. Wildlife is buried, while domestic animals are stored in freezers.

Domestic animals are placed in bags with the time and location of pickup, so if owners can identify the remains, they can take their pets. A contracted company disposes of the unclaimed pets left in the freezer.

It can be heartwrenching work.

Last Dec. 8, a caller tipped off the city to 4-5 dead puppies on the shoulder of Boundary Rd.

Then there are the odd calls.

From a report on Fourth Line Rd. last Dec. 20: "The sheep head is cleanly cut and placed upright in the very middle of the intersection (no body in the area)."

Some of the calls are simply from people who lost their dog or cat and are checking with the city to see if road crews scraped the animals off the road.

The honour for having the most requests for dead animals goes to the rural ward of West Carleton-March with 178.

Perhaps as expected, the majority of the calls in West Carleton-March were about dead deer. There wasn’t a single call about a dead squirrel in those 12 months.

But in the urban wards, like Rideau-Vanier and Kitchissippi, dead squirrel calls are the most common.

Osgoode ward had the greatest variety of animals found dead on city property. The animals included a turtle, moose, cow, wolf, fox and several porcupines.

The safest ward for animals could be Stittsville, which only registered 42 service requests.

It could be the safest ward for drivers, too, considering animal strikes can cause serious damage to



Alexander Koundakjian of Aleks Auto Body on Gladstone Ave. says in his experience even the smallest animals can cause serious damage to vehicles. JON WILLING/OTTAWA SUN/POSTMEDIA NETWORK

Alexander Koundakjian of Aleks Auto Body on Gladstone Ave. said he once repaired a Volkswagen Golf that sustained $3,000 in damages from a collision with a racoon.

"Deer strikes are the worst because they’re higher up (on the vehicle) and they cause even more damage," Koundakjian said.

But it’s the smaller animals, like racoons and groundhogs, that usually cause the damage Koundakjian most often fixes.

It can be a gruesome repair job.

"You’ll see some fur, a lot of blood," Koundakjian said. "Not organs, but meat, let’s say."

Twitter: @JonathanWilling

Dead animal cleanup requests by ward: July 27, 2014 - July 27, 2015 (with most common animal) *

- West-Carleton March: 178 (Deer)

- Knoxdale-Merivale: 175 (Racoon, rabbit)

- Osgoode: 170 (Deer)

- College: 160 (Squirrel)

- Alta Vista: 146 (Squirrel)

- River: 150 (Squirrel)

- Capital: 137 (Squirrel)

- Bay: 135 (Squirrel)

- Kitchissippi: 135 (Squirrel)

- Gloucester-Southgate: 130 (Cat)

- Rideau-Goulbourn: 121 (Deer)

- Barrhaven: 111 (Squirrel, rabbit)

- Rideau-Vanier: 107 (Squirrel)

- Cumberland: 100 (Cat)

- Kanata South: 97 (Squirrel)

- Innes: 91 (Racoon, cat)

- Rideau-Rockcliffe: 89 (Squirrel)

- Kanata-North: 87 (Deer)

- Somerset: 82 (Squirrel)

- Beacon Hill-Cyrville: 81 (Cat)

- Gloucester-South Nepean: 76 (Rabbit, cat)

- Orléans: 69 (Cat)

- Stittsville: 42 (Cat)

* There could be multiple requests per dead animal

How to prevent a collision with wildlife, according to the City of Ottawa

- Scan side-to-side when driving on the roadways and its shoulders

- Use your high beams where possible

- Look out for light reflection from an animal’s eyes

- Take notice of yellow wildlife warning signs

- Reduce your speed to increase your time to safely react

- If wildlife crosses your path, brake, sound your horn but never swerve suddenly. Stay in control