Anyone ever hit an animal?

[m.eliza]

So I went out for a quick ride this morning and had some seriously close encounters with local critters. I've always worried about squirrels and chipmunks running into the road in front of me, and today it happened! A cutie little chipmunk darted right in front of my bike, and I couldn't react quickly enough. I'm pretty sure I ran over his little tail! I feel terrible, but couldn't go back. I would have been devastated to find him smooshed on the pavement. there were no guts/blood/fur on my tire, though, and the bump felt small! Is it bad that I didn't go back to check?

Then just a few miles later, I noticed somebody's dog sitting on the right side of the road, so I checked behind me for cars, then moved over to the left to give the dog a nice buffer zone. No luck. The dog pounced at me at the very last possible second as I was passing, and I nearly folded it in half with my front wheel! I managed to miss him by millimeters, but I swear I felt some fur graze my right leg as I passed. Has anyone ever had a scary experience with an animal in your path? I don't think I'm going to be comfortable coasting quickly downhill for a long, long time. I'm paranoid about these little guys now!

[solobiker]

A few years back a friend and I were out riding our road bikes in the country. This poor little squirrel came out from the side of the road and unforutnately my friend ended up running it over with the back tire. She tried to avoid it. The squirrel did die :-( My friend was crying and pleaded with me to get it off the road so it would not be hit by a car too. I was able to find a branch/stick to pick up with and placed in the grass. I never thought that would have happened.

[Trekhawk]

When I lived in the States I swear every squirrel in my area had some sort of death wish. It really did freak me out when they seemed to launch themselves at my front wheel. I never hit one but it sure was close at times. No squirrels in Aust and so far no native animals have felt the urge to tangle with my wheels.

[PamNY]

Squirrels do not behave as you would expect and there is nothing you can do about it. I watch them taunt hawks on a daily basis -- even to the point of trying to enter an occupied hawk nest.

I'm looking for books that explain this phenomenon, and I might eventually contact some experts because it really is fascinating.

I started out with the usual "squirrels are stupid" point of view, but it really is more than that. If I find out anything, I will post it. I doubt if it will help make squirrels or cyclists safer, but it's interesting.

[eofelis]

I haven't hit a critter, but my SO had a critter hit him!

In July we were doing a night ride. We have Nite Rider lights and have ridden at night quite a bit. We were riding along a country road, very few cars, and had to dodge a dead racoon. I was third in line, SO was in the lead. I looked up ahead just in time to see a big racoon jump out the ditch and bolt across the road and to see my SO and his bike part ways.

I think the racoon just knocked the bike right out from underneath him!

He was knocked out, but no blood. His helmet did it's job. Some nice folks stopped to help. I went with SO in the ambulance. The nice folks helped our friend Jean (who was riding with us) get our bikes home.

He had a concussion and a small brain hemmorage. Bruised shoulder and hip. He wasn't wearing gloves but was so taken by surprise by it that he didn't have time to put his hands out. He doesn't recall anything of it happening.

[ivorygorgon]

I ran over a snake on my mountain bike. I was absolutely horrified and cried. DH said he was ok (he was behind me on the trail), but I don't know. I came around a curve and the snake was in the middle of the path, nothing I could do about it. It still bothers me.

[PamNY]

The squirrel is standing up to the hawk the same way I stand up to dogs. And birds' nests are a prime source of predation.

Just gotta be confident in owning the situation. They are rodents, of course, not canids. Rodents are more agressive than canids.

Taunting does the squirrel no good at all -- hawks still catch them, albeit in a different situation from the one in which a squirrel would taunt (typically on a branch, where the redtail can't get them). The squirrels don't own the situation.

I'd be surprised to hear of a squirrel successfully predating a hawk nest simply because redtails are such diligent parents.

[marni]

I have had several squirrels throw themselves through my front wheels with less than spectacular results. I don't think I've ever killed on with the bike although I might have accidentally stepped on dazed squirrel while picking myself up off the road.

As for dogs- I ride aggressively, speak aggressively, maintain my line and speed and refuse to be afraid of them so I haven't ever (so far, knock on wood) had any problems and there are a lot of them loose out around where I ride.

every rider and every situation is different and there is good advice in each of the previous postings.

Loose longhorn cattle now- that's a whole different situation.

[Kiwi Stoker]

We ran over a seagull's wing on the tandem.

It and it's friend were on the road going down a long hill. We were at the front of a huge paceline doing 50km/hr.
Seagulls took off but one doubled back to go with his friend. We clipped it with the front wheel. DH recovered quickly. Everyone in the paceline let out a huge cheer. They told us afterwards they were sure there was going to be a crash and everyone would go down.

Seagull flew off but I suspect we would of damaged some flight feathers if not broken it's wing.

I am having fun at the moment in Singapore riding around avoiding- monkeys (which will charge you!) water monitors (big lizards that always run the wrong way) and snakes.

[alimey]

I ran over a pigeon in Hyde Park. I swear I felt the double bump as both wheels went over it - I really try to avoid them, but it just dived under my wheel. Needless to say there were loads of mummies & kids around. I felt horrible & stopped - but no pigeon. I asked the nearest person & they said it flew off. So London pigeons really are bullet proof. I was very glad it wasn't lying in the path 1/2 dead . . .

[crazycanuck]

I've never actually run over anyting but...just about. Riding along some singletrack one morning when a few feet in front a kangaroo jumped accross the track. Had I been any closer, we would have collided..not a good thing & i'd come out second best!!

[Selkie]

I've hit several rabbits. As far as I know, no rabbit fatalities have resulted from these encounters (I do loops and I've never spotted blood or corpses). I do my best to avoid them but sometimes, they come out of nowhere.

The only animal who died beneath my tire was a rat who ran out so quickly that I had no time to react. Death by Orbit. Must have been quick and hopefully, painless.

[Bike Chick]

I've had close calls with squirrels too. They can scare the daylights out of you when they come from nowhere and then do that little dance in the middle of the road trying to decide which direction to go I've also had deer and wild turkey jump in front of me but, thankfully, have never hit one.

DH on the other hand had a cat jump from side of the road straight into his front wheel! He thought he was going down for sure and that "oh, this is going to hurt" thought went through his mind but he managed to keep the bike upright. The cat was tossed into the air, landed on all fours on the other side of the bike and ran away. Both DH and the cat survived unscathed. We still see kitty in the same place on our morning rides but he runs the other way now!

[Selkie]

DH on the other hand had a cat jump from side of the road straight into his front wheel! He thought he was going down for sure and that "oh, this is going to hurt" thought went through his mind but he managed to keep the bike upright. The cat was tossed into the air, landed on all fours on the other side of the bike and ran away. Both DH and the cat survived unscathed. We still see kitty in the same place on our morning rides but he runs the other way now!

I wish I could have seen that one! Talk about 9 lives. A friend of mine had a similar experience with a groundhog!

[m.eliza]

I am having fun at the moment in Singapore riding around avoiding- monkeys (which will charge you!) water monitors (big lizards that always run the wrong way) and snakes.

Yikes! Talk about adventure cycling.