Special bridges and tunnels are helping wild animals stay safe.
It’s a spring day in Washington State. A family of mountain lions races through a forest. The animals are hunting their next meal in Snoqualmie (snoh KWAHL-mee) Pass. This beautiful woodland area is home to animals like black bears, foxes, and deer.
Suddenly, the lions skid to a stop. Right in front of them, cars and trucks zip by on a highway. If the lions try to cross the road, they could get hit by a car and be killed. What will they do now?
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Finding a Solution
In the United States, more than 1 million car accidents each year involve wild animals. The crashes can block roads for hours and seriously hurt both animals and humans.
Luckily for these lions, there’s a solution nearby. In 2018, state officials built special bridges and tunnels along the highway called wildlife crossings.
Wildlife crossings are pathways that help animals safely cross a road. But instead of being paved like roads, the crossings are covered with trees and plants. The goal? To keep wildlife off the highway.
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There’s no wildlife crossing for these bears. They have to walk across the road, which could cause an accident.
Staying Safe
The crossings are already helping. The animals of Snoqualmie Pass can now safely cross the highway—including our lions! They race over the bridge and continue their hunt.
The people driving below can also safely continue on their way. Some may be lucky enough to spot a family of mountain lions as they drive!
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Can't Miss Teaching Extras
This fascinating 3-minute video shows photographs of wildlife crossings from all over the world, including a crab bridge and a turtle tunnel.
Conservation Northwest has a Flickr album of photos and videos of animals using the Snoqualmie Pass wildlife crossing, both the overpass and the underpass. Or you can view a 2-minute video compilation of various crossings.
