Wildlife accidents in the Donau-Ries: record damage of 13,000 euros!

Wildlife accidents in the Donau-Ries: record damage of 13,000 euros!

On the night of Thursday, June 12, 2025, there were a number of accidents involving wildlife in the region around Donauwörth. According to the Augsburg General the Donauwörth police station registered four such collisions in a short period of time. The locations where the accidents occurred include Oppertshofen, Wolferstadt, Altisheim and Fünfstetten, with an estimated total damage of around 13,000 euros.

Let's start with the details: At 10:10 p.m., a 23-year-old driver hit a deer on the local road from Oppertshofen towards Reichertsweiler. Just 45 minutes later, an 18-year-old also collided with a deer in his electric car on the district road between Wolferstadt and Steinbühl. The next incident happened at 11:50 p.m. when another 23-year-old crashed into a badger on the state road between Zirgesheim and Altisheim. Finally, at 1 a.m., a 42-year-old driver crashed his van head-on into a deer. Fortunately, all drivers were uninjured, but the animals lost their lives.

Record-breaking wildlife accidents

These incidents are part of a worrying trend: In the Donau-Ries district, the number of accidents involving wildlife has exceeded 600 and is therefore above the comparable values ​​of the record year 2024. The police are appealing to all road users, especially at dusk and at night, to drive particularly carefully and to adhere to the maximum speed.

But this problem is not an isolated case in Germany. According to that Wildlife Biology Institute A collision between a car and a large wild animal occurs every 2.5 minutes. Every year this can lead to up to 27 deaths and almost 600 serious injuries, with property damage amounting to around 490 million euros. Animals such as deer are particularly at risk, over 200,000 of which die in traffic every year.

The impact on animal species

The danger is not only significant for the drivers and passengers of the vehicles, but also for the wild animals themselves. The estimates of the German Hunting Association (DJV) show that around 1,000,000 wild animals are killed in road traffic every year. These deaths can pose a threat to the survival of rare species such as the otter. There is a need for action both with regard to animal protection and to reduce the risk to people.

In order to counteract this trend, it is important to develop effective prevention measures. In an overview of FVA BW It is explained that game accident data is now recorded in hunting statistics and by police departments in order to be able to derive targeted measures. The introduction of the EUSka system for the central compilation of wildlife accident data has contributed to the availability of comprehensive data with geographical location. In this way, targeted recommendations for wildlife accident prevention can be developed.

The challenges are diverse and the complexity of wildlife accidents is influenced by different factors. In the future, new projects carried out with the support of various partners could help to gain in-depth insights and develop specially tailored solutions. Hands up for wildlife and a little more care on our roads – that would be a good step in the right direction!