Beware: Dead animal pickup by NCDOT delayed by COVID-19 budget cuts

They’re definitely not something you want to look at, but along the sides of many North Carolina roadways, dead deer and other animal carcasses are rotting away.

"You can see how long it's been there because the grass is now taller than the deer. You've got buzzards flying around them [and] feasting on them," described Lisa Humphries.

Humphries contacted 5 On Your Side after calling different agencies with no results.

"I’ve lived here a long time, and I’ve never had deer stay out there this long without being picked up," said Humphries.

Since December, she’s counted seven dead deer along a stretch of N.C. Highway 50 in northern Wake County. The section is maintained by the state Department of Transportation

"Picking up dead animals on the side of the road is something that we do," said NCDOT spokesman Marty Homan.

He said that the speed of pickup has been impacted by coronavirus-related budget cuts.

"We’ve just been doing it ourselves instead of having a contractor that’s just dedicated to doing that," said Homan, adding, "That has perhaps slowed things a little bit."

Homan said Division 5, which includes Wake, Durham, Person, Franklin, Granville, Vance and Warren counties, reported 25 pick-up requests for dead animals so far this year. Twenty-two were still open when 5 On Your Side contacted Homan about Humphries’ concerns.

After 5 On Your Side reached out, all of the remains were removed.

"I almost couldn’t believe my eyes, that they weren’t there anymore because they had been there for so long," Humphries said.

"We hope to have a new contractor in place by June, and that should help speed it up," says Homan.

There are differences in which agency is responsible, depending on whether a road is maintained by a city or the state. Homan said if it’s not their road, they will either forward a request to the right place or let you know where to turn.