We commonly see raccoons, deer, even cats and dogs on the side of the road.

They don’t just disappear. What happens to them?

Dead animals in roadways are reported to the SC Department of Transportation.

SCDOT responds to the “1045s,” the code for an animal carcass, DOT District Maintenance Engineer Alan Kozusko said.

“If the calls come through our district office, they are dispatched to the counties. Then county crews go out with trucks and wenches to collect the animals,” Kozusko said.

Kozusko said crews handle the animals in a dignified way, especially if they may have been pets.

The carcasses are brought to special landfills dedicated to disposing of dead animals.

Roadkill collected in Lexington County is taken to the landfill on Screaming Eagle Road in Richland County.