Due to the time change on Sunday, October 27th, many motorized commuters will be out and about in the coming weeks, especially at dusk.

That is, just when the wild animals are looking for food. "Wild animals don't know the time change, no matter how often we turn the clock," says Marie Geisler, area management consultant at the German Wildlife Foundation. The biorhythm of red deer, roe deer, wild boar, badger and fox is based on the position of the sun and the change in the length of the day. Many wild animals are particularly active at dusk - that's when they set off to look for food under the cover of darkness.

German Wildlife Foundation warns: The number of wildlife accidents is increasing at the beginning of November

In search of corn, beets, roots, mushrooms, berries, tree fruits, herbs or carrion, wild animals cross motorways, country roads, field paths, village and suburban streets. "Due to the time change, people's rush hour is shifting to the main activity period of wild animals," says Marie Geisler. This means that car drivers, but also motorcyclists and e-bikers are becoming a danger to wild animals and vice versa. According to the German Insurance Association, a wild animal collides with a car every two minutes across Germany. The risk of accidents involving wild animals is almost twice as high from October to December as in other months, according to the GDV's accident statistics. Over 1 billion euros are paid out for vehicle damage every year. According to the German Hunting Association, almost every collision ends in death for the wild animal.

There are particularly frequent crashes at forest and field crossings, because this is where foxes, deer, stags, badgers and wild boars cross the road to get to other feeding areas. Street trees, which produce a lot of tree fruit, are also popular places to feed.

Acorn feeding attracts wild animals to the roads

Wild boars, for example, love to eat their fill of protein-rich acorns. "Because there is acorn feeding this year, it can easily happen that a herd of wild boars gathers on an oak avenue at dusk. The silhouettes of the animals can only be seen from a short distance in poor visibility conditions, and there is a risk of accidents," says Geisler. Other hoofed animals such as roe deer and fallow deer also like acorns and are also attracted to the roadside by fallen tree fruits such as beech nuts and chestnuts. On roads lined with fruit trees, you are guaranteed to come across not only wild boars at dusk, but almost always badgers and foxes too.

Wetness and leaves also increase the braking distance. However, many accidents involving wild animals could be prevented if drivers recognized the danger of wild animals crossing the road in good time. The expert from the German Wildlife Foundation's tip is: "Drive with foresight, drive at 80 km/h rather than 100 km/h and always be ready to brake. Watch the roadside in dangerous areas! If you see reflective spots, i.e. the eyes of wild animals or an animal silhouette, brake immediately. Honk your horn so that the animal is frightened and, in the best case, flees, and switch off your high beams. Because a wild animal that is blinded will initially remain motionless - if you dim your lights, it will hopefully continue running. And be careful: if a wild animal crosses the road, other animals of the same species will often follow.

"If a collision cannot be avoided, never try to swerve," adds Marie Geisler. A collision with trees on the road or even oncoming traffic has much worse consequences for drivers than a collision with a wild animal. If there is an accident involving wild animals, the driver must notify the police - even if the wild animal that was hit is still alive or has fled. Do not take the wild animal with you, as this is prohibited. The police inform the responsible hunter, who will search for the animal and, if necessary, put it out of its misery. The police also issue a certificate of the wildlife accident so that the driver can have the damage paid for through his or her own insurance.

Jenifer Calvi / Press Officer
German Wildlife Foundation
Lucy-Borchardt-Straße 2
20457 Hamburg
Telephone 040 970 78 69-14
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
www.DeutscheWildtierStiftung.de

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