Wild Mammal Welfare and Road Design

Road design including culverts, underpasses, and appropriate fencing can significantly reduce wildlife road mortality by channelling animals to safe crossing points.

Key Facts

Wildlife underpasses have reduced badger mortality at known badger crossing hotspots
Deer fencing with crossing points channels deer movement reducing random crossings
Culvert retrofitting for otters adds ledges enabling passage without entering the road
Urban wildlife tunnels including hedgehog tunnels are increasingly incorporated in new developments
Amphibian tunnels reduce road mortality at known toad crossing sites

Welfare Considerations

Road infrastructure that considers wildlife crossing requirements reduces welfare harm to thousands of animals annually. Retrofitting existing roads with species-appropriate crossing structures at known hotspots addresses the most significant welfare impact points. Incorporating wildlife crossing requirements into new road design standards prevents future hotspots from developing. The welfare return on investment from crossing infrastructure is high when targeting known mortality hotspots.

What You Can Do

Advocate for wildlife crossing requirements in road improvement and new road planning
Support councils implementing otter ledges, badger underpasses, and deer fencing
Report wildlife road mortality to authorities and citizen science schemes
Donate to organisations campaigning for better wildlife road mitigation
Learn about wildlife crossing design standards and advocate for their wider adoption