“Pay attention to wildlife crossing signs!” says Mary Ann Bonnell, Ranger One with Jefferson County Open Space in Colorado. A lot of highway departments work to provide safe crossings. They research where animals cross and what makes them want to cross there.”
Fences draw animals to certain points, according to Mary Ann, and create concentrated animal crossings. “Pay attention to different speed limits,” she says. “Too many people feel like, ‘Whatever…’”
It has been estimated that a million furry, feathered and scaly animals a day become roadkill in the United States. Animals are attracted to road surfaces for other reasons than merely crossing. Many are attracted by salt and gravel. Snakes are attracted by heat. Some animals are attracted by fruit trees in medians. And roadkill can have collateral damage as crows, coyotes and other scavengers are attracted by roadkill carcasses.