Temporal patterns of deer–vehicle collisions consistent with deer activity pattern and density increase but not general accident risk

Hothorn, Torsten; Müller, Jörg; Held, Leonhard; Möst, Lisa; Mysterud, Atle

doi:10.1016/j.aap.2015.04.037

Cited by 52 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…, Hothorn et al. ), but this result may also be reflective of the decreased pronghorn movement we observed during nighttime hours in summer and winter.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 47%

“…However, pronghorn appeared to select for crossing roads during daylight hours but selected against crossing roads during nighttime in both seasons. It is possible that pronghorn may avoid crossing roads at night, when there is an increased risk for wildlife-vehicle collision (Mastro et al 2010, Diaz-Varela et al 2011, Hothorn et al 2015, but this result may also be reflective of the decreased pronghorn movement we observed during nighttime hours in summer and winter.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

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Across scales, pronghorn select sagebrush, avoid fences, and show negative responses to anthropogenic features in winter

et al. 2019

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Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) are endemic to western North America where they occupy expanses of grassland and sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) habitats. The Red Desert region in south‐central Wyoming, USA, has historically served as a stronghold for pronghorn populations, but many herds there have experienced declining population trends over the last two decades, concurrent with oil and natural gas development. These demographic changes and the potential for such energy development, its associated infrastructure, and other anthropogenic features including roads and fences to influence pronghorn habitat selection were the impetuses for our study. We sought to evaluate the potential effect of human‐induced disturbance on multi‐scale seasonal resource selection of 142 adult female pronghorn from 2013 to 2016 using 442 unique animal‐season‐year datasets. We utilized a traditional resource selection function to evaluate seasonal home‐range selection and a step‐selection function to assess fine‐scale, patch‐level seasonal selection. We also compared resource selection during daytime and nighttime hours with step‐selection analyses. At the seasonal home‐range scale, pronghorn selected for areas with more sagebrush during both seasons and areas farther from fences during summer. This trend was also apparent at the patch‐scale level, where pronghorn selected sagebrush‐dominant habitats and avoided crossing fences in all seasons during both day and night. Additionally at this scale, pronghorn selected areas farther from fences during daytime in summer. At the broader, home‐range scale, pronghorn selected areas with greater road density during summer, but with lower road densities and farther from wells during winter. Avoidance of anthropogenic features during winter was also observed at the finer, patch‐scale, with pronghorn selecting for increased density of roads and oil and natural gas wells during daytime in summer, but selecting areas farther from these features during daytime in winter. We recommend minimizing fencing and other forms of anthropogenic disturbance in high‐quality seasonal pronghorn habitats with high proportions of sagebrush, particularly during winter when risk‐avoidance responses may be amplified.

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“…, Hothorn et al. ), but this result may also be reflective of the decreased pronghorn movement we observed during nighttime hours in summer and winter.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 47%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

Across scales, pronghorn select sagebrush, avoid fences, and show negative responses to anthropogenic features in winter

et al. 2019

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“…In Europe greater than 0.5 million collisions per year are estimated. In the US the number is three times higher, rising to 1.5 million collisions per year (Langbein et al 2011, Hothorn et al 2015.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Traffic accident-related injuries in horses

Schwenk¹,

Fürst²,

Bischofberger³

2016

PHK

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Summary: Horses involved in road traffic accidents (RTAs) are commonly presented to veterinarians with varying types of injuries. The aim of this study was describe the pattern and severity of traffic accident-related injuries in horses in a single hospital population. Medical records of horses either hit by a motorized vehicle or involved in RTAs whilst being transported from 1993 to 2015 were retrospectively reviewed and the following data was extracted: Signalement, hospitalisation time, month in which the accident happened, cause of the accident, place of the accident and type of vehicle hitting the horse. Further the different body sites injured (head, neck, breast, fore limb, abdomen, back and spine, pelvis and ileosacral region, hind limb, tail and genital region), the type of injury (wounds, musculoskeletal lesions and internal lesions) and the presence of neurological signs were retrieved from the medical records. 34 horses hit by motorized vehicles and 13 horses involved in RTAs whilst being transported were included in the study. Most of the accidents where horses were hit by motorized vehicles occurred during December (14.7 %) and October (14.7 %), horses were most commonly hit by cars (85.3 %) and the majority of accidents occurred on main roads (26.5 %). In 29.4 % of the cases, horses had escaped from their paddock and then collided with a motorized vehicle. Most of the accidents with horses involved in RTAs whilst being transported occurred during April (30.8 %) and June (23.1%). In 76.9 % of the cases the accident happened on a freeway. In the horses hit by motorized vehicles the proximal hind limbs were the body site most commonly affected (44.1%), followed by the proximal front limbs (38.2 %) and the head (32.4 %). When horses were involved in RTAs whilst being transported the proximal fore limbs (61.5 %), the proximal hind limbs (53.8 %) and the distal hind limbs, back and head (38.5 % each) were the most common injured body sites. Wounds were the most common type of injury in both groups (85.3 % hit by motorized vehicle, 76.9 % transported ones). In horses hit by a motorized vehicle 35.3 % suffered from fractures, in 20.6 % a synovial structure was involved and in 5.9 % a tendon lesion was present. 14.7 % suffered from internal lesions and 14.7 % showed neurologic symptoms (40 % peripheral, 60 % central neurologic deficits). On the other hand, in horses involved in a RTA whilst being transported 30.8 % suffered from fractures. There were no synovial structures injured and no tendon injuries were present. Furthermore there were no internal lesions present and only one horse involved in a RTA showed central neurologic symptoms. Injuries of horses being hit by a motorized vehicle were more severe than when horses were protected by a trailer and involved in a RTA whilst being transported. The study has been able to identify the different injury types of traffic accident-related injuries in horses. Awareness of the nature of these injuries is important, to avoid underestimation of their severity.

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“…However, our findings offer only an indirect link between the underlying factors and the numbers of MVCs during fall, and our analyses did not allow a direct link between moose movement and MVC as in Neumann et al (). Simultaneous activity of wildlife and humans on roads increase the risk for wildlife‐vehicle collisions (Hothorn et al ). The risk of a collision may indeed be relatively higher during the hunting period because of higher traffic volume, because more people visit the forest at that season of the year.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Yet, reducing population sizes to decrease collision frequencies may not work for all species and systems (e.g., moose [Alces alces]; Rolandsen et al 2011, Niemi et al 2017. For deer species, vehicle collisions generally increase during fall and winter (Sudharsan et al 2006, Neumann et al 2011, Hothorn et al 2015. There is a common belief that hunting affects deer movement and leads to deer crossing roads more often, thereby, increasing the risk for DVCs (Sudharsan et al 2006, Steiner et al 2014.…”

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confidence: 99%

Influence of hunting on movements of moose near roads

Neumann

Ericsson

2018

J Wildl Manag

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Vehicle collisions with large wildlife provide a serious risk of severe personal injuries. In some countries, there is a common belief that hunting increases this risk because it leads to more active animals and increases roads crossings. We analyzed movements of moose (Alces alces) and frequency of moose road crossings during fall to test if moose altered their behavior during hunting periods compared to other times. We analyzed global positioning system (GPS) data from 172 free‐ranging adult moose (140 females, 32 males) between the end of August and the middle of October 2004–2013, in 7 different areas along Sweden's latitudinal gradient of 57°N–67°N. Female moose either decreased or did not change their movement rates as fall proceeded, and they did not cross roads more in any weeks of the hunting season. Male moose became more active between mid‐September and the beginning of October, which corresponds to the time before the hunting period in southern Sweden and the temporary hunting closure in northern Sweden. There was no overall change in moose movements in relation to hunting activity during fall regardless of region or sex. We found that number of road crossings correlated positively with the rutting period in male moose. Thus, the riskier periods for traffic during fall during the hunting period, based on moose movement, coincided with the rutting activity. We suggest that mitigation actions to reduce moose‐vehicle collisions should make drivers more aware of changes in movement behavior in moose during the rutting season, particularly in southern Sweden. © 2018 The Wildlife Society.

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Temporal patterns of deer–vehicle collisions consistent with deer activity pattern and density increase but not general accident risk

Cited by 52 publications

References 37 publications

Across scales, pronghorn select sagebrush, avoid fences, and show negative responses to anthropogenic features in winter

Across scales, pronghorn select sagebrush, avoid fences, and show negative responses to anthropogenic features in winter

Traffic accident-related injuries in horses

Influence of hunting on movements of moose near roads

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