Short-beaked echidnas are among the most common Australian mammals but suffer significant mortality from vehicles during breeding season migrations.
Vehicle strikes cause traumatic injuries. Echidnas that survive strikes may have spinal or internal injuries causing prolonged suffering before rescue or death. Puggle mortality following maternal death is near-certain without intervention. Echidnas that curl defensively on roads are at extreme risk from multiple vehicles. Habitat fragmentation forces animals across more roads during migrations.