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Helping the Mountain Lions Cross the Road

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A mountain lion monitored by the National Park Service in the Santa Monica Mountains. (National Park Service/Flickr)
A mountain lion monitored by the National Park Service in the Santa Monica Mountains. (National Park Service/Flickr)

The habitat of mountain lions in Southern California is dissected by some of the world's busiest freeways.

The I-405 and Route 101 facilitate human travel, but they've severely curtailed mountain lions' movement in the Santa Monica Mountains. The disruption is leading to low genetic diversity and negatively affecting the animals' behavior.

Scientists and animal advocates have come up with a solution: create an overpass to allow the lions to cross above the highway.

Seth Riley, wildlife ecologist for the National Park Service, tells Here & Now's Peter O'Dowd why a wildlife corridor over the freeway would be beneficial for mountain lions and other wildlife, and how it would work.

Guest

  • Seth Riley, wildlife ecologist for the National Park Service.

This segment aired on October 13, 2014.

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