Cleaning up the carnage

Every work day is busy for Qin Chuansheng, 43, a road maintenance worker on Highway 213. He and his colleagues drive a 15-kilometer patrol along the road clearing away animal carcasses from the night before.

Since the Ruo'ergai county government converted the dirt road into a portion of Highway 213 three years ago, Qin said they have to clear at least five or six bodies a day, sometimes more.

On the same day that the Chengdu field study group arrived, Qin and his crew found the Tibetan mastiff lying in the middle of the road. Though dead, its head was still bleeding. Qin walked back to the car, took out a broom and quickly shoved the dead dog off the road, something he has done hundreds of times in the past few years.

"Big animal bodies like wild dogs and yaks are moved off the road and buried," he told the Global Times. "Small ones like frogs and birds are dumped in the trash."

Most accidents happen in the evening, following rain or snow. "Better road conditions mean more vehicles and an increased of death toll," he said.

Cai Guangchun, a van driver who drives along the highway at least once a month, said drivers should not be blamed.

"No driver hits the animals on purpose. If they hit one, they will be in a bad mood for the rest of the day."

Cai said he almost killed a dog on the highway last month. "I was driving along the highway, and all of the sudden I heard, BANG! A dog came out from nowhere and hit my car, I was stunned and scared." He looked in the rear-view mirror and saw the dog was still alive. Cai said he was relieved.

Like Cai, many drivers just hit and run. "They will not stop as long as their vehicles still work," Cai said. "They are afraid that it might get them into trouble."