In the wrong place at the wrong time: Moose and deer movement patterns influence wildlife-vehicle collision risk

摘要: Abstract Mitigation strategies for wildlife-vehicle collisions require sufficient knowledge about why, where and when occur in order to be an efficient tool improve public safety. Collisions with cervids are known influenced by spatial factors such as topography forest cover. However, temporal changes animal motorist behaviors often overlooked although they can increase the odds of cervid-vehicle collisions. Consequently, we evaluated potential influencing spatiotemporal distribution 450 moose white-tailed deer that occurred between 1990 2015 along 100-km long highway southeastern Quebec, Canada. Both efficiently explained moose-vehicle but not deer, suggesting latter more randomly highway. The risk was mainly modulated topographic habitat variables, interactions slope elevation distance suitable habitats had a strong effect on collision risk. Road sinuosity proportion mature coniferous stands around site positively deer-vehicle A numbers noted different biological periods during which movement rates higher (e.g. post-winter dispersal rut). These results suggest cervid is main factor frequency. Our indicate mitigation aimed at decreasing probability must species-specific should focus closely movement.