'It's working!' Deer, bears and other critters like Utah's first wildlife bridge — and the state has video to prove it.

 

https://news.yahoo.com/working-deer-bears-other-critters-023001198.html

USA TODAY
Elinor Aspegren, USA TODAY
Wed, November 25, 2020, 11:25 AM EST

The first wildlife bridge in Utah is working as intended. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources has proof.

A video shared by the department on Nov. 19 shows various animals — including deer, bears and bobcats — using the Parleys Canyon Wildlife Overpass, which spans Interstate 80 southeast of Salt Lake City.

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“From what we can tell, the number of accidents there is down dramatically,” he said. “At least initially, it appears the investment in safety is paying off. And we expected it to take several years before the animals got used to using it, so this is great.”

A 2008 federal study “estimated one to two million collisions between cars and large animals every year in the United States.”

Wildlife overpasses and underpasses have had similar success in other states, and thus have been growing in popularity.

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