The human-wildlife conflict such as crop damage by wildlife (e.g., deer and wild boar) has been serious, especially in rural areas of Japan. One of the major reasons for this problem is expansion of distribution of such wildlife toward human settlements. Therefore, understanding behavioral differences between natural habitats and human settlements is essential to reduce the problem. The current study aimed to compare the detection numbers of deer and wild boar in terms of the season and time of day in three sites (the mountainous, lowland, and residential areas) around Mt. Takanosu in Higashihiroshima, Hiroshima using camera traps.
The total number of deer detections was not significantly different among the areas. Seasonal activity patterns differed between residential and mountainous area; they are predominantly active in summer in mountainous area while also active in spring in residential area. Diurnal activity patterns also differed among areas; they were active throughout the day in mountainous and lowland areas while predominantly active at nighttime in residential area. These results imply that deer change their temporal activity pattern in residential areas in response to human activity and availability of resources. Such behavioral flexibility may relate to the rapid expansion of habitat and population of deer in Japan.