Red lasers are ineffective for dispersing deer at night
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Published source details
VerCauteren K.C., Hygnstrom S.E., Pipas M.J., Fioranelli P.B., Werner S.J. & Blackwell B.F. (2003) Red lasers are ineffective for dispersing deer at night. Wildlife Society Bulletin, 31, 247-252.
Published source details VerCauteren K.C., Hygnstrom S.E., Pipas M.J., Fioranelli P.B., Werner S.J. & Blackwell B.F. (2003) Red lasers are ineffective for dispersing deer at night. Wildlife Society Bulletin, 31, 247-252.
Actions
This study is summarised as evidence for the following.
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Use light/lasers to deter crop damage by mammals to reduce human-wildlife conflict Action Link |
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Use light/lasers to deter crop damage by mammals to reduce human-wildlife conflict
A replicated, randomized, controlled study in 2001 in arable fields on two adjacent wildlife refuges straddling Nebraska and Iowa, USA (VerCauteren et al. 2003) found that red lasers did not disperse white-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus from fields at night. No differences were found in flight response between two different lasers (deer fled in 2–3% of encounters) or between these lasers and the control without lasers (3% fled). Thirty-two crop fields were randomly assigned one of two lasers, shone from a vehicle, or as the control (vehicle without laser). The two red lasers were the Desman® (633 nm, 5 mW, 12 mm beam) and Dissuader™ (650 nm, 68 mW, variable beam). Deer behaviour was monitored using night-vision binoculars on eight consecutive nights in July 2001 (total 177 deer encounters). Deer were initially located with a spotlight. Lasers were used for 2 minutes/deer, first on adjacent vegetation, then in a zig-zag manner, then on the body.
(Summarised by: Ricardo Rocha & Rebecca K. Smith )
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