Posted on 12/06/2020 6:49:23 AM PST by Eddie01
A video posted on Facebook in mid-November shows the outstanding success of the i-80 wildlife overpass in Utah, where you can watch elk, moose, small mammals, black bears, coyotes, and even what appears to be a porcupine safely cross a dangerous stretch of road.
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources: For wildlife researchers, it demonstrates that the time it takes for animals to adapt to using wildlife overpasses may be years shorter than first anticipated.
“From what we can tell, the number of accidents there is down dramatically. At least initially, it appears the investment in safety is paying off,” Utah DoT spokesman John Gleason told the Salt Lake Tribune in 2019. “And we expected it to take several years before the animals got used to using it, so this is great.”
Completed in 2018 by Utah’s Dep. of Transportation and costing $5 million, the wildlife overpass was lobbied for by a group called Save People Save Animals, after a particular stretch of i-80 was unfortunately dubbed “Slaughter Row” due to the large number of traffic collisions with crossing wildlife.
The bridge incorporates miles of fencing in both directions on both sides of the road, funneling mammals to the bridge which is covered in soil, boulders, and logs to make it feel like a natural environment.
Not only are the animals using it instead of crossing the highway further down the corridor, but they are treating it like their natural habitat. A cougar was recorded scratching and stretching on one of the logs, which it wouldn’t do in a stressed state.
Collisions with cars are a real danger to millions of animals, but even 15 years ago, there were already more than 700 terrestrial and aquatic wildlife crossing points in North America, with more and more being built every year, including the largest in the world to help California’s isolated mountain lion populations, which is to be completed in 2021.
I think this is so cool and it is even “artistic” looking.
Good place to obtain protein sources during times of need.
I saw this on FB. It’s really working.
We have a similar project in Colorado, it works great and has saved a lot of deer and elk and cut back on accidents. The animals took to it quickly.
Speaking as a human animal, my first thought would be:
“Will something eat me before I get to the other side?”
They are going to build a bridge not too far from me for mountain lions. I was skeptical, but I guess they work.
Just click on the pic
Cute video, it reminds me of the wildlife that visit us frequently. I put up a game camera, but it does not provide video as good as whatever these guys are using. The funniest video we had were racoons and squirrels which were curious about the camera. We also caught the bear on video that we suspected was breaking limbs in the tree that we put the camera in.
(Insert Spock Pic here...)
Tim must be a democRat!
Where is the toll booth?
LOL
Gee, maybe we should have more oil pipelines installed so that deer, elk, moose and other critters have warm spots in cold weather...just like with the Alaska pipeline. The Green New Deal
Now if we can only build such a bridge to China. Only make it one way so that the U.S. traitors can cross and NEVER come back.
Way Cool !!!
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