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.

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

We cannot remove dead animals from private properties or private land which includes residents' gardens. Please do not place deceased pets in a public litter bin if found in a public space.

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 its removal.

Report a dead animal

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

More information if you find a dead wild waterfowl (swans, geese or ducks), gulls or other dead wild birds on the council's Avian Flu page

What you need to do

  • click on the report button above and log into your MyAccount (or create an account if you don't already have one) to complete the online form to report a dead animal
  • let us know the location of the dead animal
  • tell us what type of animal it is that requires collection
  • MyAccount is an easier and quicker way to interact with us and is available 24/7. For information about MyAccount visit the find out more page 

If you wish to report it anonymously select the 'Report anonymously' option on the MyAccount log in page

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.

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.