Walk on the wild side: saving California's mountain lions
Santa Monica's mountain lions are hemmed in on all sides by highways, the ocean and open fields - leading to road deaths and in-breeding. A lush overpass spanning 10 freeway lanes would allow them to roam freely and safely
Highways bring people and cities closer together. Where once dusty wagon trails inhibited access to goods and services from other parts of the country, the rise of the freeway (and the car) provided unprecedented mobility for people - but, it turns out, not for wildlife.
In Los Angeles, the mountain lions of the Santa Monica mountains are trapped, hemmed in by busy oncoming traffic from the 101 freeway. "They'll come right up to the freeway on both sides, turn around and leave. We know they're not crossing," says Jeff Sikich, a US National Park Service (NPS) biologist.
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