Over the last few years, with the negative effects of global climate change and human population growth becoming more apparent, we can’t help but notice another disturbing trend: countless fatal vehicle collisions killing the wild animals we fight so hard to protect.
Global climate change has made resources animals need like food supply, water sources, predictable seasons, and adequate shelter less reliable. Human encroachment into animal habitats has forced many animals to travel over increasingly fragmented spaces, over farther distances, and away from disturbances to their natural lifestyle. As a result, animals are encountering dangerous roads more often.
The Recent Deaths Highlight the Issue of Wildlife Road Collisions
Recently, Grizzly 399, a beloved 28-year-old mama bear known as the queen of Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park, died after being hit by a car. According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), Grizzly 399 had a one-year-old cub known by online fans as “Spirit” with her when she was struck. The cub’s whereabouts remain unknown, but luckily, there is no evidence to suggest that the cub was also involved in the accident. Grizzly 399 was the oldest known reproducing female grizzly bear in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
There have been 49 grizzly bear deaths due to vehicle collisions in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem between 2009 and 2023. This year alone, in 2024, two grizzly bear deaths occurred, including Grizzly 399, from vehicle strikes near the park.
Mountain lions have also suffered significantly from vehicle strikes; Mountain lion P-104 was the 25th mountain lion, and 8th collared study cat, to be killed by a vehicle since the National Park Service “Lions in the Santa Monica Mountains” mountain lion study began in 2002. A total of 32 mountain lions have been struck and killed by vehicles in the study area since 2002. In California, between 2015 and 2022, it was reported that one or two mountain lions were killed by vehicles every week throughout the state.
Vehicle Collisions Hurt Both Individual Animals and Entire Species
Vehicle collisions affect all wild animal species, and while the preventable loss of any lives is always tragic, vehicle collisions impact the conservation status of some species more than others. For example, vehicle collisions are the leading cause of death for red wolves and have killed more than 20% of the remaining wild population. Red wolves are listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List and have become the rarest large carnivore in the U.S.; just dozens of red wolves remain in the wild today. In 2024, several red wolves were killed by vehicles on U.S. Highway 64 in eastern North Carolina, including a two-year-old male red wolf that was killed by a vehicle in April 2024. He was the fourth red wolf killed by a vehicle in the last 10 months. The father of five red wolf pups was also killed by a vehicle shortly after his pups were born in the spring. Tragically, the pups died shortly after their father’s death. Lastly, red wolf 2444M was born in captivity in Missouri in 2022. He was later transferred to the Red Wolf Recovery Area, where he bred with a wild female red wolf. They released the wolves and pups in late May, but 2444M was sadly killed by a vehicle on June 5.
Vehicle Collisions Pose a Major Threat to Wildlife
If so many vehicle collision fatalities have occurred with animals we know and love due to the enhanced tracking technology and wildlife conservation measures in place, imagine how many unmonitored animals die every day across the country. In the U.S., more than 350 million vertebrate animals are killed by vehicles each year. A study by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) identified 21 federally listed Threatened or Endangered species for which road mortality is a major threat, including the Hawaiian goose, desert tortoise, San Joaquin kit fox, and California tiger salamander. Further, most property-damage-only crashes go unreported, and wildlife experts estimate that there are 5 to 10 wildlife carcasses for every reported wildlife crash. Humans are also impacted by these vehicle strikes: ~1 to 2 million crashes between motor vehicles and large animals like deer occur every year in the U.S., causing approximately 200 human deaths, 26,000 injuries, and at least $8 billion in property damage and other costs.
Animals Need Wildlife Crossings
To help protect wild animals as their habitats become increasingly fragmented and sparse due to human encroachment on crucial ecosystem lands, we advocate for more wildlife crossings to be built along major highways to help save red wolves and other fragile species by reducing vehicle collisions. The efficacy of implementing wildlife crossings has been demonstrated: they can reduce vehicle collisions by an incredible 97%. For those who share their private lands with wild animals, the use of bear-resistant trashcans and electric fencing to protect backyard livestock like chickens are recommended to help discourage wild animals from spending time in urbanized environments. Vehicles are unfamiliar predators that these animals did not evolve with; please try to share the road with those who don’t know the rules.
Keep Wildlife in the Wild,
Devan
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