35 wildlife accidents in just one night – scooter driver seriously injured

In the district of Osnabrück, in the district of Emsland and in the county of Bentheim, a total of 35 accidents involving deer occurred on Thursday night.

In the Osnabrück district, a man was taken to a hospital with serious injuries after colliding with a deer on a scooter in Georgsmarienhütte early Thursday morning, a spokesman for the Osnabrück police said on Thursday morning.

No one was injured in any of the other accidents, only property damage was caused, it said.

Deer particularly active in spring

According to the German Hunting Association (DJV), wildlife accidents are particularly common in April and May because the animals then become more active, the daily news reported. As the DJV explained, the animals are looking for food and there are territorial fights between the roebucks. The old bucks drive away the young ones.

Another factor: deer are often out and about at dusk. Due to the time change at the end of March, the active time of the animals coincides with the rush hour in rush hour, especially in the early morning.

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According to the DJV, 27,250 wildlife accidents were reported in Lower Saxony between the beginning of April 2021 and the end of March 2022. Deer were involved in most of the accidents, according to the hunting association for Tagesschau. Only in North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein was the number nationwide higher. According to the German insurance industry, there were 16 percent more accidents involving wildlife in April than the annual average. (dpa/mp)