Cougars aiding drivers: Study shows big cats keep deer away from roads

Can predators actually protect drivers? On this episode of Oregon on the Record, host Michael Dunne talks with Justin Suraci, senior scientist and director of wildlife conservation science at Conservation Science Partners, about groundbreaking research from Washington's Olympic Peninsula. Using data from 503 camera traps and 59 GPS-collared pumas, Suraci and his team found that areas with high mountain lion activity see up to a 76% drop in deer-vehicle collisions, because pumas change where and when deer roam, pushing them away from roads and into safer habitat. The conversation digs into the "landscape of fear," the $14.7 million cost of wildlife collisions on the peninsula, and why understanding the hidden benefits of large carnivores, not just the risks, matters for human-wildlife coexistence.