Wildlife crossings

Collisions between vehicles and wildlife pose a serious risk for animals and motorists alike. Highway 93 South in Kootenay National Park is particularly dangerous; from 2003 to 2012, over 500 large mammals were killed. It is likely that many more collisions were unreported and the animals never found. Attempts to prevent collisions – such as adding impermeable fencing to keep animals off roads – fragments the landscape and disrupts wildlife movements. To ensure both highway safety and wildlife connectivity, neighbouring Banff National Park uses wildlife exclusion fencing in combination with overpasses and underpasses, enabling wildlife to safely move across the landscape. With traffic projected to increase, Kootenay proposed a multi-phase project modelled on the Banff experience to reduce collisions between wildlife and vehicles.