A Little Poop Could Keep Deer From Damaging Forests

Scientists say they've found a simple way to protect young trees from hungry deer: make them smell like a predator. In forests in southeastern Germany, researchers found that spreading lynx and wolf urine and scat around young trees cut browsing damage by deer, with lynx scent having the biggest impact, according to a release from the British Ecological Society. Camera traps showed red and roe deer visited predator-scented plots less often and spent less time eating when they did, compared with control plots marked with cow scent or water. The study, published in the Journal of Applied Ecology, suggests fear alone could be a low-effort ally in restoring forests hit hard by intense deer grazing, a key problem for forest regeneration.

"At a time when debates around large carnivore conservation often focus on conflicts, our study highlights the benefits these species bring to landscapes," says co-author Walter Di Nicol. Deer in the study area were more familiar with lynx but may also be especially wary of them due to their habit of ambushing prey at close range, per Earth.com. Researchers say the effect should translate to places where the predators have been gone for generations as deer carry an inherited wariness of them. They caution, though, that their experiment relied on stronger scents than animals would encounter in the wild, so the real-world impact is likely weaker. Still, the team sees promoting the return of big carnivores as a natural way to prevent deer overbrowsing, no bullets or fences required.