Humans have done a great job of infringing on the habitats of animals, and in this story a "celebrity" Mountain Lion was forced into an 8 square mile territory because Los Angeles Freeways prevented his crossing. And while that may sound like a lot, the normal territory for a male Mountain Lion is 150 square miles!
Then came the idea for a highway overpass, but not for cars. This one would be only for wildlife to use for safe crossings over the busy highway. Donations poured in from celebrities including Leonardo DiCaprio, Rainn Wilson, Barbra Streisand and David Crosby, among others.
The new animal crossing includes specially designed sound walls, along with natural sound barriers of tall trees and lush plantings. Everything is designed to filter out the noise of the freeway, since most animals get frightened and turn around if it’s too noisy.
While this may be the first wildlife crossing in Los Angeles, it's not the first of its kind. They were first constructed in France in the 1950’s.
It sounds like the plot of a Disney movie: a mountain lion prevented from finding a mate because he’s trapped by L.A. freeways becomes famous and inspires the construction of the world’s largest wildlife overpass. But it really happened.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/08/us/iyw-wildlife-overpasses/index.html
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