Evaluation of Deer Guards for Key Deer, Big Pine Key Florida

摘要

Because of increased deer/vehicle collisions involving endangered Florida Key deer (Odocoileus virginianus clavium), the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) developed a plan to construct a fence along a portion of US Highway 1 that crosses Big Pine Key, Florida. A problem associated with this plan involved access points where small public roads bisect US-1, which would allow deer to enter the fenced portion of the highway. Currently there are no structures (deer guard) that are effective in preventing deer from entering access roads. The purpose of this study was to design, construct, and test a deer guard that would allow normal passage of vehicles while preventing Key deer from crossing. Between September 1998 and December 1999, deer guard prototypes were constructed and tested within a deer-holding facility at the Welder Wildlife Foundation Refuge near Sinton, Texas. Wild-trapped Texas white-tailed deer (O. v. tenanus) were used as test animals.