Hurray for Cougars

Here's a random bit of information that I've cited several times since I read it, so I thought I'd better post it here.

Mountain lions (also called cougars or pumas) make American roads safer by keeping deer afraid and therefore away from developed areas, including roads. On Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, for instance, deer-vehicle collisions decreased 76%. 

Deer kill 200 to 440 Americans each year; mountain lions have only killed 29 Americans since 1868.

I know which wild animal I'd rather have around.

__

I originally saw this on BlueSky from historian and science fiction writer Ada Palmer. This is the article she linked to.