That’s what a team of researchers in Washington state found after investigating the impact pumas (Puma concolor) have in the state’s scenic Olympic Peninsula. A cougar known as “Iggy” photographed in December 2022 on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington through Panthera’s Olympic Cougar Project. As such, pumas and other large predators can offer an “ecosystem service” in the form of better road safety for humans, he adds. The team also discovered that deer are more active during the day in areas where pumas are present. According to tracking collar data, there were additional daytime car collisions with deer as opposed to overnight, when such incidents are usually worse.