Why are deers endangered species?

How Key Deer

Became Endangered

Key deer are endangered for a number of reasons.

While the status of the Key deer is still precarious, at least it is more secure than in the 1940s when only an estimated 50 animals remained.

Hunting and some habitat destruction had eliminated the rest. The establishment of the National Key Deer Refuge in 1957, coupled with strong law enforcement, saved the herd from extinction.

Today, traffic accidents account for about 70 percent of the Key deer fatalities each year. It's a situation that isn't likely to improve.

U.S. 1, the main thoroughfare through the Keys, is one of the roads that bisects the refuge.

About half the fatalities happen along this roadway despite a posted speed limit that is lower than on any other island.

These collisions are just as apt to take place during the day as at night. Obviously, this is one instance where sharing the land isn't working at all well.

The problem is that only 40 percent of Big Pine Key is protected habitat. On a map, the island is revealed as a checkerboard of houses and businesses

The current population of this tiny subspecies of the white tailed deer is around 800.