Report a dead animal

We will remove animals from the public highway (where it is safe to do so) when they have been in an accident or died of natural causes.

We check cats and dogs for a microchip once they have been collected and contact the registered owner if a microchip is found. If a microchip is not found we keep a brief description of the animal and the location it was collected from. We will keep dead cats and dogs for a period of two weeks and if not claimed they will be disposed of.

Animals we can remove from public highways include cats, dogs, seagulls, foxes, badgers, hedgehogs and other similar sized animals. Anything bigger than a badger will need to be reported to Kent County Council via their website

We cannot remove dead animals from private properties or private land which includes residents' gardens.

If a dead animal is washed up on the beach (porpoise or seal) we will investigate and, if required, we will contact the Maritime to assist in it's removal.

To report a stranded whale or dolphin please call the Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme (CSIP) telephone hotline

If you find a dead wild waterfowl (swans, geese or ducks) or other dead wild birds please call the Defra telephone hotline

What you need to do

You will need to let us know the location of the dead animal and what type of animal it is that requires collection.

You can report this anonymously.

What happens next

Once the report is received it will be passed to the relevant team/s to be actioned upon as appropriate. We aim to collect a dead animal within 24 hours of the report being received.

To report a dead animal for removal please use the following form

Report a dead animal