Respondents overwhelmingly support safe passage for animals
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – In a new survey released Thursday by Environment America Research & Policy Center, respondents showed overwhelming support for building more wildlife crossings across the country. After collecting responses from 302 people in 10 cities across nine states, the survey administrators found that 87% of respondents support investments in new crossing projects.
“Wildlife crossings are a pragmatic and impactful way to save the lives of wildlife and humans alike,” said Environment America Research & Policy Center Wildlife Associate Casey Miller. “Support for wildlife crossings varied little across all the geographically widespread locations surveyed.”
When habitats are divided, animals often have no choice but to risk their lives by crossing busy roads and freeways. This endeavor has deadly results, and leads to vast amounts of roadkill – an all too familiar sight for American drivers. Every single day, motor vehicles in the United States kill roughly 1 million vertebrate animals – about 14 times the seating capacity of an average NFL football stadium.
“Nobody wants to see roadkill, and certainly no driver wants to get into a collision with a big animal,” said Steve Blackledge, senior director of conservation campaigns for Environment America Research & Policy Center. “The results of this survey suggest that if America invests in reconnecting nature and creating safer habitats for wildlife, the public will support it.”
Investments in wildlife crossings will make roads safer for people as well. A Federal Highway Administration study estimates that there are one to two million wildlife-vehicle collisions with large animals every year in the U.S., causing 26,000 human injuries, 200 human deaths and more than $8 billion in property damage.
Researchers surveyed people at 10 different locations across the country including stores and college campuses. They found that wildlife crossings appealed to 70% of respondents because they save animals, and a healthy minority (20%) supported them because they also reduce the harm and deaths to drivers that hit large animals. Survey responses also showed that more than one-third of Americans have “no compelling reason” to oppose new crossing projects, underscoring the simplicity of the benefits that crossings provide.
“Wildlife crossings are a simple and popular path forward to help heal America’s declining wildlife populations,” said Environment America Research & Policy Center President and Chairwoman Wendy Wendlandt. “We should move to construct more crossings to protect wild and human lives.”
