The buck stops here

The process to report an animal carcass on the side of the road, or on the highway, isn’t as easy as calling your local city hotline.
The Record caught wind of a deceased deer on route 108 at the corner of the Reedsville Cemetery in Hatley. The animal, likely struck by a vehicle on Sunday evening, remained in the same spot for several days before someone removed it from the side of the road.
But how do residents get in touch with the right people to remove an animal carcass? In a series of phone calls spanning roughly an entire morning, The Record discovered that municipalities are not responsible for completing the task.
When asked about the removal procedure, a Sherbrooke communications employee said they weren’t 100 per cent certain who handles that sort of thing. They referred the newspaper to the Société protectrice des animaux (SPA) de l’Estrie or to call the Quebec Transport Ministry.
The SPA revealed that it also doesn’t handle animal carcasses. Although, as one employee explained, they won’t refuse a person who brings the body of a dead cat or dog. It’s rare, she added, but the organization has no problem handling the next steps or conducting a burial.
After hitting another dead end, the SPA referred The Record back to someone within the Sherbrooke offices. The employee, also perplexed by the question, believed the responsibility to clean up dead animals falls on the public works team.
When the newspaper finally got in touch with public works, the answer was simple. The city, public works, police, road crews, they don’t handle animal carcasses. The process is outsourced to a local company, Récupération Maillé.
However, it doesn’t end there. The Record reached out to the carcass removal service only to hear a woman’s voice on the other end asking to leave a voicemail. On Thursday, the company confirmed they are responsible for large dead animals, like deer.
If you see an animal carcass in the Eastern Townships, Récupération Maillé can be reached by telephone at (819) 847-4907. Residents can contact local police, if they are in an accident involving an animal. They can also reach out to the Transport Ministry.

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