Hooves Who in Wildlife Insurance

He beat me to the punch in alerting his readers to the menace of angry sheep, but it appears I am ahead of Martin Grace in spotting the latest fauna-related risk: disoriented deer.

In Ohio, the state's Insurance Director advises motorists to be sure that they are prepared to deal with the consequences of deer collisions: 

According to an industry report, there were 31,729 deer-vehicle collisions in Ohio in 2003, a 4.7 percent increase over the previous year.

'Fall is the time of year when most deer-vehicle accidents occur,' said [Insurance Director Ann] Womer Benjamin. 'Ohio's large deer population, coupled with its vast roadway system and numerous vehicles, increases the likelihood of an accident. It is important to know what to do should you strike a deer and to understand the insurance implications of such an incident.'

Meanwhile, in Tennessee, it appears the deer are coming for the agents:

Tom Jones has been an insurance agent for 28 years, but he's never had to file a claim like this.

Jones, a State Farm Insurance agent whose office is in Brentwood, was the victim of a break-in yesterday morning — by a disoriented deer. The intruder crashed through a seven-foot window, knocked pictures off a shelving unit, then traipsed down a flight of stairs and into a storage room, where authorities contained it until help arrived.

[Illustration for this post found here.]

UPDATE [11/12/04]: Reason magazine science writer Ronald Bailey wrote in 2001 on deer as America's Most Dangerous Mammals.  Now he links to a (possibly fictitious) genetic solution.  A bright idea, indeed.

Comments

[David Giacalone]

Who gets the carcass after a deer-auto collision? Does the insurer want dibs?

Two days ago, friends told me that a deer accident happened in front of their house on a country road a week ago. The driver came and knocked on their door, perhaps thinking it was their pet. They immediately called many of the "Great White Hunters" who lived in their town, but none wanted the fresh venison. Seems there are so many deer in upstate New York, that hunters have no problem bringing down their own -- often in their own backyards. And, of course, deer-auto collisions are too frequent to even make the local tv news. I would not be very pleased if a deer lost me my accident-free discount. Stewed.

[Martin]

You know its funny... I saw this item too, but I didn't even make the connection. I guess annoying deer are't the same as "Angry Sheep". We need a new post heading "When Animals go Wild" and maybe we can get Mutual of Omaha to underwrite it.