一项发表于《当代生物学》的最新研究指出，在拥有健康美洲狮（又称山狮）族群的地区，涉及鹿的车祸事故可大幅减少高达76%。过去一世纪以来，由于缺乏掠食者与狩猎限制，美国鹿群数量暴增，导致相关的交通事故也随之攀升。

研究团队在华盛顿州奥林匹克半岛收集数据，发现美洲狮偏好在森林边缘与靠近道路的区域伏击猎物。这种掠食威胁迫使鹿群改变行为，选择远离道路并退居森林深处，从而大大降低了牠们暴露在车流中的风险。

这种动物行为的改变带来了更安全的驾驶环境，该地区五年内的车祸数量明显下降。然而，专家也指出这项研究主要针对夏季数据，未来仍需进一步观察在秋季鹿群交配季节时，这种行为改变的效应是否依然显著。

A recent study published in Current Biology reveals that car accidents involving deer can decrease by up to 76 percent in areas with healthy cougar populations. Over the past century, the lack of predators and hunting limits have caused deer populations to surge in the US, leading to a steady increase in related traffic accidents.

By collecting data on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, researchers found that cougars prefer to ambush their prey near forest edges and roads. This predatory threat forces deer to change their behavior, moving away from roads and retreating deeper into the woods, which significantly reduces their exposure to traffic.

This change in animal behavior has created safer driving conditions, resulting in a substantial drop in collisions over a five-year period. However, experts note that the study primarily focuses on summer data, and further research is needed to determine if this behavioral effect remains significant during the fall mating season.