Automobiles and trucks are steadily accelerating the disappearance of the miniature white-tailed deer that once flourished on this tropical vacation island in the lower Florida Keys.
Today, only about 300 Key deer, a federally designated endangered species, survive in a national refuge here. A sign by the entrance keeps a tally on the slaughter of deer on the refuge’s roads.
“Road kills are always the biggest mortality factor,” says Jon Andrew, the refuge manager. “We lose 40 to 45 animals each year.”
Across the U.S., every day at least 1 million animals, from the rare to the ordinary, end their lives on roads and highways. No one knows how many injured animals crawl away and die undetected.
The highest toll is among small animals. Carcasses of squirrels, woodchucks, raccoons and birds are so common along the roadside that motorists hardly notice them.
But a surprising number of large animals succumb to motor vehicles. Many thousands of full-size deer die on U.S. roads each year. Colorado loses 200 to 300 elk. New Jersey loses about 50 black bears. In the Southeast, crocodiles are regularly run over.
Fragile populations of wildlife are particularly vulnerable. Five Florida panthers were killed on state highways last year, a major blow to a dwindling population of fewer than 50 of the endangered cats. In south Texas, cars and trucks threaten the last ocelots in the U.S. In upstate New York, prospects for restoring lynx there dimmed last year when nearly one-third of 83 newly released animals were run over within weeks.
“With more habitat being fragmented by highways, animals’ exposure to vehicles is increased,” says Guy Hodge of the Humane Society of the United States.
Spring and fall-when many species must cross roads to migrate, look for new territory or seek mates-are the deadliest seasons.
Roads indirectly act as magnets. Insects sunning themselves on road surfaces attract birds. Deer, woodchucks and other animals graze along grassy shoulders.
Collisions with deer are increasing, because herds have expanded in most regions. Running into a deer often means expensive auto-body work and, occasionally, injury to people in the vehicles. But research shows that even when warned, many drivers don’t slow down and watch for deer, particularly at night, when the animals are most active. Even animated neon signs have been ignored.
Humane Society warnings go largely unheeded, as has a national campaign launched three years ago to cut the carnage.
“Given the way people drive-without much regard for themselves or other drivers-to expect them to show much regard for animals is unrealistic,” Hodge says.
Sometimes the highway slaughter is treated as a joke. There are “road-kill specials” at country cafes, road-kill cookbooks and, in Marlinton, W. Va., the annual Road Kill Cook-off, with entries such as “Dagwood’s 18-wheeler venison” and “stir-tired possum.”
But it’s no laughing matter to wildlife experts. Eight-foot fences offer the best protection for deer, they’ve found. But fences cost a lot and obstruct views.
Underpasses are another solution. Researchers have learned that animals will use them if they’re placed beneath well-used crossing areas and are spacious enough to prevent them from feeling hemmed in.
But the Key deer’s salvation may be found above ground, not below. Florida officials are considering elevated highways to separate the little deer from road traffic.
