Road mortality is one of the leading threats to ocelot populations in fragmented landscapes across the Americas, with wildlife crossing infrastructure offering a proven solution.
Ocelots struck by vehicles suffer traumatic injuries including fractured limbs, internal hemorrhage, and spinal damage. Animals that are not killed immediately may suffer for hours before being found. In small populations like Texas, each road death represents a significant proportion of total individuals, compounding the population-level loss with individual suffering. Cubs that lose mothers to road mortality cannot survive independently. Wildlife crossing programs that combine appropriate structure design, approach fencing, and vegetation management reduce mortality effectively. Speed limit reductions and driver warning systems in high-mortality zones provide complementary protection at lower infrastructure cost.