JUST three pets out of more than 800 killed in roadside accidents in the past three years have been returned to their owners, figures have revealed.
Since January 2012 more than 800 cats and dogs have been found dead on the north’s roads, but official figures reveal that only three pet owners were contacted while the remainder were sent to landfill or incinerated.
Figures reveal that the former Derry City Council also sent 24 rabbits to landfill.
In total 3,650 animals - including horses, goats and sheep - were recovered by staff at eight councils across the north, with only seven either returned to owners or to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD).
DARD has requested that all badgers and foxes recovered "in good condition" are sent to them for analysis.
Of the animals recovered more than than 2,000 were removed by a contractor and incinerated, while the largest number – almost 1,500 – were sent to landfill.
Just 150 animals were sent to a pet crematorium, all at the former Castlereagh Borough Council.
Several councils did not return any animals at all to owners, including Belfast City Council, which sent all 1,040 dead animals collected to landfill.
Prior to its merger with Castlereagh Borough Council, the former Lisburn City Council sent more than 1,100 cats and dogs to incinerators, although the new council is now using the pet crematorium.
The former Antrim Borough Council and Newtownabbey Borough Council removed more than 300 animals in total in three years, all of which were sent to landfill or an incinerator.
Most councils which responded said they check for micro-chipping on animals, but critics say local authorities should keep the animals in storage to allow greater time for owners to be located.
More than 20,000 people have signed a petition calling on the government to extend 'Harvey’s mandate' to all roads and "ensure that all domestic animals killed are scanned for a micro chip, logged and kept in cold storage whilst all efforts are made to locate the owner."
A spokeswoman for the Pets Lost and Found Northern Ireland group said that she wanted "every council to have scanners" but also urged owners to ensure their pets are chipped.
She said: "A man last year lost his German Shepherd which had been knocked down by a car. The council incinerated the dog without contacting him."
"The councils are not leaving any time for this. It is very disappointing for us who are all volunteers and doing our best to try to return pets to their owners.
The figures were released in response to a Freedom of Information request of all eleven new councils by The Irish News. Three councils did not respond to the request.
