So I make a lot of identifications on iNat and have noticed a lot of people handling dead observations, for example, a wing from a roadkill. Often times with just bare hands! Wondering if it’s really alright to be doing that (I would’ve assumed gloves are necessary??) and on a slight tangent, what do you all do if you want to collect bones from a dead specimen but it hasn’t decayed enough to be considered fully cleaned of flesh?
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I submit lots of dead animal observations, though I never handle with my bare hands. You just don’t know what kinds of diseases or parasites that dead animal might have, so your concerns are certainly valid. I try to use sticks or stones to move the carcass if needed, or sometimes a large leaf, as I rarely have gloves on me when I come across a dead specimen.
If you are seeing observations of people handling dead animals, it is probably a good idea to leave a friendly comment/reminder about caution and hygiene practices. If someone has no option but to use their hands (I don’t know what the circumstance would be), they should wash their hands with warm soapy water at the earliest opportunity, or at the very least use a generous amount of hand sanitizer.
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As long as you wash your hands and don’t have cuts you should be fine
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I don’t think handling dead things with any tissue left is a good idea. It’s one thing if it’s mostly bone and dried out, but another thing entirely if it’s all gorey and a mess. Just wear gloves.
I collect animal skulls, and I have a few methods. Burial works well, as does maceration (soaking the animal in water until bacteria eat it) small specimens with only a bit of flesh left, I usually soak in watered down hydrogen peroxide. Bone collecting is fun, but DO do some reading on laws in your country. In the US, bats and almost all birds are illegal to collect.
I have a personal website where I have a guide to collecting bones, however, it hasn’t been edited in a while so it may not look great on all devices :-P Here’s the link: https://anolesquailsandmaybecattails.neocities.org/collectingbones
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I will handle remains as needed whether or not I have gloves. Very fresh remains are actually reasonably safe to handle in many cases (eg, recent roadkill) because they haven’t been recruited to by pathogens yet in meaningful numbers. I would generally trust most people to manage their own behavior and safety in this regard.
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I wouldn’t handle a dead animal without gloves where tularemia is present. Just not worth the risk, in my opinion.
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I think thats valid but I personally think that only applies if there is blood or bodily fluids on it. Don’t get me wrong, I 100 percent agree with you, this is just my thoughts.
thanks, this is a really helpful website!
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Exactly my position on this until about a month ago when I found this (probably) victim of the many cats around
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/287725219
A few days after that observation the local press exploted about a man that had died of the Borna virus.. the second one within a very short timeframe.
The virus is only known to cause often(!) deadly complications in humans since 2018 and apparently transmission to humans is rare, but unfortuantely not well understood yet and incubation might be a few months (so yes, I am still uneasy about this and hope I did not catch anything). Apparently the bicoloured shrew Crocidura leucodon is a host and the virus is in its saliva an urine.. I don’t know whether I observed and touched that species (maybe I should tag someone) but I seem to live in a high risk area at the moment.. even if the risk of catching it is really low under normal circunstances, I just upped my chances there unnecessarily 
I did not know about that risk before, as it is so new on the radar and apparently only a very local risk factor and I just moved here a few months ago… lesson learned, I will not assume anymore that I have the full picture and just play it safe in future and not touch anything dead without protection
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my general rule is if it is recently dead with skin intact (still with all fur/feather/scales) or if it is bone without any flesh/tendon left, it is fine if you wash your hands after. if it is rotting/bloody/bone with some tissue, wear gloves. exception to blood rule is hunting, and you know the animal was killed just a few minutes ago, then bare hands washed later is fine.
collecting bones- my method is to simmer until flesh peels off, then soak in acetone until clean, or to put it on an ant nest so they clean it, and then leave it in the sun to bleach it
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Be careful with dead mammals as they can carry diseases that are transmissible to humans. Here in the western US, plague occurs in many mammals and I’m always careful around freshly dead carcasses especially where I’m unsure of the cause of death. Hantavirus is also a concern with many rodents.
If you touch a SARS COVID bat we will know who has caused the next lockdown 
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Isn’t Hantavirus spread more often through rodent feces? They dry out and become airborne dust inside infested buildings.
That’s the main way people can be infected, to my knowledge. But handling infected rodents, alive or dead, can also bring you into contact with the virus. It’s suspected that some mammalogists got infected this way (had antibodies when tested) although apparently without life-threatening results.
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I mean for rodents idk, iv handled hundreds of dead snakes with lots of tissue on them most of the time. all I can say is its completely safe as long as you don’t start biting your nails or eating food after you do it. id honestly say its more likely to be worried about getting bit by a live snake or animal than being infected by a disease from a dead one
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