California state officials say a new law that paves the way for drivers to collect roadkill and eat it will not go into effect in the New Year.
SB 395, or the Wildlife Safety Traffic Act, directs the state Fish and Game Commission to create and launch a pilot program by mid-2022 that will allow members of the public to salvage deer, elk, pronghorn antelope, and wild pigs accidentally killed in vehicle collisions.
"This potentially translates into hundreds of thousands of pounds of healthy meat that could be used to feed those in need," the law argues.
UC Davis studies estimate that more than 20,000 deer are killed on California roadways every year.
The bill was signed into law by California Gov. Gavin Newsom at the end of a recent legislative session.
"There's a whole lot of excitement about the bill from the media's perspective, largely just because of the headline — 'Kill it and grill it is about to become law,'" California Department of Fish and Wildlife Capt. Patrick Foy said in a telephone interview with KQED this week.
"There's a widespread belief that Jan. 1, people are going to start being able to utilize roadkill. We just want to make sure that people understand that's ultimately the goal of the bill, but it's not in place yet."
Confusion about the bill spread following erroneous reporting by several media outlets, including the Sacramento Bee.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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