Wildlife Corridors and Animal Welfare: Connecting Fragmented Habitats

Habitat fragmentation causes wildlife to face roads, fences, and hostile terrain — wildlife corridors reduce mortality and welfare harms.

Key Facts

Road mortality kills billions of wild animals globally each year — including millions of mammals, reptiles, and amphibians
Habitat fragmentation isolates populations, reducing genetic diversity and increasing vulnerability to disease
Wildlife crossing structures including overpasses, underpasses, and culverts reduce road mortality by 70-90%
Fence lines on ranches and farms cause entanglement injury and death in deer, elk, pronghorn, and other species
The Banff wildlife crossing program in Canada is among the most successful documented examples globally
Mitigation hierarchy — avoid, reduce, restore — is the framework for minimizing infrastructure wildlife impacts

Welfare Considerations

Road collisions and fence entanglement cause enormous, largely invisible suffering in wild animal populations. Animals struck by vehicles may survive in injured condition for hours or days without intervention. Fence entanglement causes injuries from struggling, starvation, and dehydration while the animal remains alive and trapped. The welfare case for wildlife corridors and crossing structures is compelling: they reduce collision frequency, allow natural movement patterns, and maintain the behavioral freedom that wild animals require for psychological wellbeing. Making roads and fences permeable to wildlife movement is among the most impactful large-scale wild animal welfare interventions available.

What You Can Do

Support wildlife crossing infrastructure funding in your region through advocacy and political engagement
Install wildlife-friendly fencing on your property — smooth bottom wire, no barbed wire on top for pronghorn
Report road-killed wildlife to regional monitoring programs to build evidence for crossing investments
Donate to organizations mapping wildlife movement needs and advocating for corridor protection