Introduction
Wildlife-train collisions (WTC) on Swedish railways have steadily increased over
the past 15 years (Fig. 17.1), totalling about 5,000 reported incidents with moose
(Alces alces), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), reindeer (Rangifer tarandus), and
other ungulates (fallow deer, red deer, wild boar) every year (Seiler et al. 2011;
Olsson and Seiler 2015). The number of unreported WTCs, as well as the number
of collisions with smaller mammals and birds, is unknown. WTCs receive
increasing public media attention and their importance is also acknowledged by
train operators and the Swedish Transport Administration (Olsson and Seiler 2015).
WTC can cause significant disruptions and delays to train traffic; produce considerable repair costs for material damages; and entail further costs related to the
retrieval and handling of animal carcasses, the loss of other economic values of
Fig. 17.1 Trends in moose and roe deer reportedly killed on roads, on railways and through
hunting. Traffic accounts for about 10–15% of all human-caused mortality, and the proportion is
increasing. (updated from Seiler et al. 2011)
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A. Seiler and M. Olsson