This has to do with roadkill, but unfortunately has nothing to do with Burmese pythons...

I used to volunteer for a nature center/raptor rehabilitation center. On the van rides up to the center they'd stop for any roadkill they'd find and toss it in the van. They fed this to the bald and golden eage at the center. I understand that this stuff might be 'natural' prey for these animals (except that bald eagles usually eat fish and golden eagles aren't found in Ohio), but no one was concerned about them getting parasites. If you think about it I guess that prey from an animal's natural habitat is MORE likely to carry a parasite designed to er... parasitize the animal, not less. Anyway, no one's yet named the disease that can get passed from mammal to reptile (or bird) that makes this all so scary. I'd personally stay away from racoons, though, I think they can carry a roundworm that infects humans. Squirrels, possums and groundhogs are considered people food in parts of the US.

If we were talking about feeding, say, frogs or fish to snakes, that's a different story, because cold blooded animals can very easily pass parasites to each other, which is probably how wild caught animals get these parasites in the first place (most of them have probably eaten lizards).

Freezing isn't really a bad idea though, just to be extra safe .

Also, I guess I could make a point about you taking food out of the mouths of poor starving turkey vultures.... But then again you're not 'killing' an animal just so it can be food, you're merely picking it up after an accident. Thorny, thorny ethical issues, eh?

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