The Ethics of Roadkill Dining

In "The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved," Katz devotes an entire chapter on scavenging - or, a how-to on relocating the hunter-gathering within each of us.

One particularly memorable experience he had was with a group of people who, to fulfill their daily protein requirement, dine exclusively on roadkill. This was fascinating for me to read about, and actually resulting in the reconsideration of my personal vegetarian values. I may have to now refer to myself a "lacto-roadkill-vegetarian."

I've been a vegetarian in various degrees for about six years. I chose this "lifestyle choice" for a number of reasons. First and foremost is because I refuse to support factory farms - I refuse to dignify the maltreatment of animals with my dollar. I have absolutely no problem with other people eating meat - as long as it is from local farms who have treated their animals humanely. You will never hear me trying to sell another person on vegetarianism - at most, I will implore them to choose their meat selections wisely (go local!). The more people who support local animal raisers and butchers, the better. I choose not to eat happy, local animals myself simply because I just am uncomfortable with putting the flesh of an animal, that was raised for slaughter, in my body. The few times I have been persuaded to try a bite of a local, grassfed beef steak, I feel guilty for days after, the face of an unnamed heifer haunting my mind with her sad, soulful eyes. I can't make myself do it in good conscious - but as I said, it's totally a personal thing. I would encourage others to eat good meat instead of shy away from all of it. I don't think I get enough protein as it is. If others can eat a good meal, get the necessary nutrients, and feel good about it, then go for it!

But then I read about the niche individuals who dine on roadkill. It got me thinking.

Consider the roadkill. You can't get more free-range than critters living on their own in the wilderness. They're also 100% organic, and as local as made possible by their own furry little legs. Not being raised by humans, they would undoubtedly be free of growth hormones, monocultured corn crop silage, and antibiotics. All things considered, before that SUV or jeep bombing down the road led to their untimely death, the pre-mortum roadkill must have had pretty great lives, living in the wild as they're supposed to.

This all sold me on the health and sustainability aspects. As far as the moral/ethical side of this goes, here's what I think:
1) Someone else killed the animal. I didn't do it. I didn't want it to happen. Whereas purchasing a t-bone steak would support the consumer demand for meat, thereby meaning I indirectly killed an animal/caused it to die, picking up a dead animal from the side of the road isn't going to encourage more cars to hit and kill more animals. There's no market for roadkill.
2) I believe in honoring animals. How better to honor them then to save them from a humilating decomposing on the roadside, and putting their full bodies to use? Their deaths will not be worthless - in death, they can give others life.
3) Unlike in feedlots, "survival of the fittest" actually happens in the wilderness. I would be eating the dumber, less fit animals. The smarter, fitter ones would continue to live on and prosper away from the highway.

And what variety: deer, rabbits, raccoons, squirrels, skunks, various birds - maybe even larger quadruped mammals in you're lucky/they're unlucky.

So we shall see. Next time I'm driving down Route 3 and I see a poor dead creature on the side of the road, maybe (if I can convince who ever's driving) I'll pick 'er up and make a true scavenger dinner.