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Study: Cougars could sharply reduce deer collisionsOn the Olympic Peninsula, deer avoided areas where cougars hunted and spent 86 percent more time in wooded areas.
Key FactsAug 17, 2026 · Reading time: ~30 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: merkur.de
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: merkur.de
- A US study published in Current Biology reports that cougars can reduce deer-vehicle crashes by up to 76 percent, with altered deer behavior more important than a population decline.
- On the Olympic Peninsula, deer avoided road sections where cougars hunted 15 percent more often, spent 86 percent more time in wooded areas, and were also more active during the day.
- From July 2020 through June 2025, black-tailed deer accounted for 92 percent of wildlife-vehicle collisions on the Olympic Peninsula; two people died, more than 80 were injured, and medical costs and property damage totaled about 14.7 million US dollars.
- In the United States, about 1.8 million insurance claims from wildlife collisions were reported between 2022 and 2023; deer were the most common cause, and more than 200 people died in such crashes in the previous year.
