Mountain lions (pumas) require large territories and connected habitat to maintain viable populations, and their welfare and survival increasingly depend on wildlife crossing infrastructure in fragmented landscapes.
Mountain lions in fragmented habitats face chronic stress from the inability to maintain adequate territories, find mates outside their local gene pool, and avoid repeated encounters with human infrastructure. Young dispersing males are particularly at risk, facing roads, fences, and developed areas with little chance of safe passage. Wildlife crossing infrastructure directly improves welfare outcomes by providing safe movement routes, reducing traumatic road mortality, and enabling the social and genetic connectivity that individual animals need. Investment in crossing infrastructure is among the most impactful concrete welfare interventions for large carnivores in human-modified landscapes.