A Bambi Moment

This morning on the way to the Treadmill I passed two road kill victims; one I had to swerve dramatically to avoid and the second was hugely mutilated as its unrecognisable body was increasingly steamrollered deeper into the blacktop. Ironically last night my darling friend Fallen Angel also killed a deer; she is devastated at the tragic loss of an animal life. In a TGIF moment they had ordered a “Ruby” from their local and she had volunteered to collect. A quiet country road with little traffic she was taking it easy when en-route she was suddenly confronted face to face with Bambi in her headlights, she said for split second their eyes locked then the thud of reality broke the spell.

Hysterically she called her husband who arrived with a friend to calm the poor darling girl. Mother Theresa in a crisis I am amazed she didn’t jump out and do mouth to mouth or cardiac massage, such was her anguish I realise just how traumatised she really was. She is one of the most humane people I am lucky enough to know and I understand how deeply this has affected her, however, she is also THE singularly most practical person I know and her immediate concern was to the removal of the carcass from the roadside and its most expedient disposal, so, despite her extreme distress, common sense kicked in and she voiced her anxiety.

She was immediately reassured that the situation had been dealt with and the poor deer was already in the back of the car. Apparently it is illegal for the driver of a road kill victim to retrieve the remains which must be the logic for all the dead animals we see littering the roadside. How ridiculous is that? I could have had an accident this morning, Had I hit the newly dead corpse on the A14 at a considerable speed; I had a near miss, similarly had a car been on my right when I swerved so abruptly, that could have been a disaster, and how many people in the constant stream of traffic behind me faced the exact split second dilemma until the juggernauts finally flattened the poor animal.

Fallen Angel is saddened and guilt-ridden, the horror of the episode will live in her memory for a long time but she has exorcised it in her blog and she will survive. She was lucky not to have been injured herself and her motor has minimal bruising, a testament to her modest speed no doubt. However, as I write poor Bambi hangs awaiting professional butchering, she has not been, mutilated, compacted and violated, the precious meat will not be wasted and it will be venison for supper at the boat club………….