If you live in Montana you have probably had a close call with deer on the road. They are all over the towns and especially on the highways. But the deer should not be in town; they have migrated here because they found out that there is a steady supply of food in the form of discarded veggies and fruits and because of all the well-watered gardens and fruit trees. However, they cause a very large disturbance on the road and lead to unsafe driving.

     This is why many Montana communities are starting commissions to help deal with all the deer in town. Some are starting task forces, and they’re all trying to figure out how to keep them out without resorting to violence. Largely because that would be a lot of work to tranquilize and move every deer they come across in these communities.

     According to research done by the journal Current Biology, about 2.1 million vehicle collisions happen each year with deer, causing the United States to lose 10 billion dollars in economics and caused roughly 59,000 injuries resulting in an estimated 440 deaths.

     These numbers are remarkably high and could be prevented if the steps are taken. I’m not against deer roaming near cities and towns. But they are wild animals and don’t need to walk around our streets and in our backyards. When there is a bear in town, it is immediately tranquilized and moved. Yes, bears are much more dangerous than deer, but if we’re to look at statistics, black bears in North America kill one or fewer people each year. And if 440 people are dying because of deer-related injuries, why aren’t we doing more to prevent this?