Newfoundland and Labrador Opinion

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COMMENTARY: Our unsung sanitation crew: Why the Maritimes needs its scavengers

They are not the charismatic megafauna that grace our tourism brochures. You will not find them on a whale-watching tour or featured on a postcard of Peggy’s Cove. But patrolling our coastlines, forests, and ocean depths is a vital sanitation crew that works for free, never takes a sick day, and provides an essential public service: wildlife scavengers.

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From the eagles circling above the Bay of Fundy to the coyotes and ravens patrolling our farmland, these animals are the Maritimes’ original waste management experts. And beneath the waves, they have equally important counterparts. As we face increasing pressures from climate change and development, it is time we recognize the profound role this crew plays in keeping our region clean and healthy.

When a deer dies in a dense Maritime forest, a clock starts ticking. Left to rot, carcasses become breeding grounds for pathogens like salmonella and E. coli, which can leach into soil or water sources. This is where our scavenger guild earns its keep. Research demonstrates that........

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