A headline in the Daily Mail grabbed my attention yesterday -  "Why Bambi's on a collision course: Two-foot muntjac deer cause 42,000 crashes every year".  

It was not just that more evidence had emerged about the costs of non-native invasive species, but also because I have recent personal experience to draw upon. 

On my way home on Monday I suffered my own collision with a poor unsuspecting muntjac.  The car is not in a great state, but the muntjac came off a lot worse.

Apparently, this is the peak period for car accidents caused by deer and muntjac is just one of the species posing problems - shorter days results in more cars being on the roads at dawn and dusk, when deer activity is at its peak. 

Those species that rut - roe, red, fallow and sika - pose particular problems.  Peter Watson, director of the Deer Initiative, was quoted as saying "You basically have deer rushing around with sex on their minds and not thinking about much else.  In wooded areas in particular there may be very little warning before one or several deer will bolt across a road. They could be males fighting over a female. A red deer can weigh upwards of 200lbs (90kg), which can do a lot of damage."

Part of me is sad that the pace of our life is interfering with one of nature's great moments - the rutting season for our native roe and red deer.  Part of me is grumpy that our obsession with introducing exotics continues to pose havoc for wildlide and humans alike.  And part of me is just relieved that the species that I bumped into was a muntjac.  I think that I and my car would be in a much worse state if I had collided with a red deer.

And finally, thanks so much to my colleague that sent me this consoling text after my incident: oh deer, doen't worry about it, hope you managed to stag-ger home.  Herd they were about. PS Hope you don't get stuck in a rut.

Very thoughtful.

 

  • Rags - a valid point.  And as friends will confirm, I probably shouldn't be on the road myself - am not the best driver in the world.  I think I actually felt safer when I commuted by bike for ten years while working in London.  As for my carbon footprint - well, I gave up flying for fun seven years ago but could be a more regular member of our liftshare group.

  • Just one more reason to get rid of cars in my opinion.