American scientists have concluded that the role of wolves in the modern world has been underestimated until recently.
Traditionally, gray predators were called forest orderlies, believing that this was the end of their usefulness for humanity. But American environmentalists brought up another argument.
Recent studies have shown that wolves make a significant contribution to reducing road accidents involving wild animals.
University of Wisconsin ecologists published their findings in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
analyzed animal crash data and compared it to wolf migration in the state. As a result, it was possible to obtain data on a decrease in the frequency of collisions between deer and cars.
Thus, since the appearance of a wolf colony in the forest area, the number of collisions with wild animals on the roads has decreased by almost 24%.
At the same time, we are not talking about the fact that forest health workers are reducing the number of artiodactyls.
Predators change the behavior of their future victims using features of the landscape and transport corridors.
As a result, deer, elk and roe deer begin to stay further away from busy roads and other communications.
