Wildlife Corridors and Animal Welfare

Wildlife corridors help animals safely move through fragmented habitats, reducing road mortality, supporting genetic diversity, and promoting natural behavior.

Key Facts

Roads kill an estimated 1-2 million large animals and hundreds of millions of small animals annually in the US
Habitat fragmentation forces animals into smaller areas, increasing stress and disease
Wildlife corridors connect fragmented habitat patches and allow seasonal migrations
The Yellowstone-to-Yukon corridor initiative spans 2,000 miles of connected habitat
Wildlife underpasses and overpasses dramatically reduce road kill where installed

Welfare Considerations

Habitat fragmentation from roads, development, and agriculture forces wildlife into increasingly small and isolated patches. Animals attempting to cross roads die in enormous numbers, with vehicle collisions killing hundreds of millions of animals annually. Even those who survive live in stressed conditions in isolated habitats with reduced genetic diversity and increased competition. Wildlife corridors address these problems by allowing safe movement, enabling natural behaviors like migration and dispersal, and connecting populations. Individual welfare benefits are enormous, reducing mortality, injuries, and stress.

What You Can Do

Support wildlife corridor conservation projects through donations
Advocate for wildlife crossing installations in your area
Drive more slowly in areas marked as wildlife crossing zones
Support land conservation organizations that protect and connect habitat
Vote for candidates who support habitat protection and wildlife corridor funding