Animal Waste

Ms. Cooke
Environmental Science
Period: 5th
Alaina White, Samantha Tillery, and Alexis Jacops

Table of Contents
Page 1- Title Page
Page 2- TOC
Page 3- Position
Page 4- Problems/Solutions
Page 5- Citations

Our position is to raise awareness for organism decay throughout the United States
because there many diseases being developed by animals whether it's your simple house pets or
the dead roadkill on the side of the road; diseases from animals can be spread in a short amount
of time. The spread of disease does not necessarily have to be spread by directly touching the
animal, it can also be spread by just simply breathing in the air around that specific animal.
During medieval times, animal carcasses would have been hung and put on ropes out for
display for passersby to purchase at markets. Animal carcasses originates from the late 13th
century France. The only things that have changed when it comes to cleaning up dead animals is
what hits them or how they died. New diseases have been discovered in the past 100 years such
as: Cat Scratch Disease, which was discovered in 1981. Minimal sanitary regulations were
common in the colonies during the 1600's. For example, dead fish were not allowed to be thrown
back into the Boston Harbor. Sadly, not many people were aware of the fact that animals could
pass diseases between humans so, no one took necessary precautions in order to keep them from
contracting different illnesses. Finally, during this time, the government was very hesitant with
adding laws against civilians dumping their trash; so the people decided to take the matter into
their own hands. Riots and petitions arose and finally added new laws.
Animal carcasses can cause multiple problems: air pollution, disease spread, and water
pollution. Some of the diseases are: anthrax (a spore forming bacteria), cat scratch disease
(bacterial disease caused by cats), rabies (a viral disease that affects the central nervous system),
Lyme disease (a bacterial disease spread from ticks), West Nile Virus (a virus thats transmitted
from mosquitos), and ring worm (a fungus grown on the skin).

Our problem is that animal carcasses are being handled without proper protection and care
resulting in the spread of different diseases and damaging the habitat of other animals. When handling
different animals you must know how to properly protect yourself so that you dont put yourself in
danger. Many animals contract diseases that can be easily passed to a human through bodily fluids or
bites. If we educate more people on this matter, we can prevent the spread of disease from animals to
humans.
Right now, this problem is becoming more of an issue each day. As cars are becoming more
popular in different parts of the world, more animals are being killed, resulting in the spread of new
diseases that can be transmitted directly to humans. In the future, these diseases may become number one
killers to humans or an out break could possibly come up.
The NWOC has created a guide to teach people tricks on proper animal disposal. They
recommend cleaning up any equipment and clothing you use in the process with a bleach solution. Also,
make sure you are well aware of the different diseases that could be passed to you. Finally, in most
situations, its best to leave cleaning up road kill to the professionals because of their experience and
access to proper equipment.
Our vision isn't to kill or harm, its only to protect the health and safety of people. In the past,
animals that are a danger to people have had to be killed but, the killings were quick and did not have any
intentions to cause the animal pain. Afterwards, we contained the carcass and disposed of the animal
properly.

Citation Page

Libby, S. (1997). Wild Creatures as Nuisances. Retrieved

May 08, 2016, from
http://www.nytimes.com/1997/07/13/nyregion/wildcreatures-as-nuisances.html

Ch 5: Step three: Do it. (n.d.). Retrieved April 21, 2016,

from http://nwco.net/053-StepThreeDoIt/5-2CleanUpAndDisposal.asp

Animal Transmitted Diseases. (n.d.). Retrieved May 08,

2016, from
http://www.doh.wa.gov/YouandYourFamily/IllnessandDisea
se/AnimalTransmittedDiseases

WILDLIFE DISEASES AND HUMANS. (n.d.). Retrieved May

01, 2016, from
http://icwdm.org/handbook/damage/wildlifediseases.asp

Rabies and roadkill | Worms & Germs Blog. (2009).

Retrieved April 21, 2016, from
http://www.wormsandgermsblog.com/2009/10/articles/dise
ases/rabies/rabies-and-roadkill/

How can I help prevent. (n.d.). Retrieved May 08, 2016,

from http://www.peta.org/about-peta/faq/how-can-i-helpprevent-roadkill/

A Brief History of Waste Regulation in the United States

and Oklahoma. (n.d.). Retrieved May 01, 2016, from
https://www.deq.state.ok.us/lpdnew/wastehistory/wastehi
story.htm

Franco, D. A. (2002). Animal disposal: The environmental

animal disease and public health related implications: An
assessment of options.

WAC 246-203-121: Disposal of dead animals. (n.d.).

Retrieved May 09, 2016, from
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx?cite=246-203121