US flag.
I read that California is building the largest wildlife crossing in the world. Very worthy and worthwhile.
It will cross the highway at Los Angeles and they hope it will help lions. Lions! What? Never mind helping the lions. If the powers that be can divert lions off the highway, I am all in favour of it.
The first one I saw was in Singapore.
Singapore flag.
- Eco-link @ BKE, Singapore, from Wikipedia.
In Singapore riding along the motorway in a taxi or a grab cab you often see the Eco bridge.It helps the animals cross from the Bukit Timah nature reserve. Bukit is the Malay word for hill and Timah means tin, tin mine hill, a major landmark.
I thought it would be interesting to take a walk along the bridge but you cannot. The bridge is closed to pedestrians. Many animals smelling human scent would keep away, defeating the purpose of the bridge.
What is the bridge for? To divert animals away from dangerous roads where they become roadkill. To enable them to link up (not kink up, which auto correct prefers) from one area to another, so that animals are not interbreeding with their own relative in a small area, but can roam around to meet others, which encourages breeding and creates biodiversity.
Squirrel Bridges
Squirrel bridges are in the UK in England and Scotland, in Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Germany and the USA. A simple rope bridge is relatively cheap to build. It could be protecting the red squirrels or the greys, whichever is your native species most in need of help.
AUSTRALIA
Australia has bridges used by koalas and kangaroos.
SINGAPORE
The cameras have caught three kinds of bat. And pangolins.
UK
In the UK crossings or under tunnels have been built for specific animals which have a route across what is now a motorway. Hedgehogs. Toads.
ELSEWHERE
Camel crossing in Kuwait. Yup. It must be easier to spot a camel crossing than some of those smaller creatures.
Useful Websites
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildlife_crossing
USA
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/california-will-build-largest-wildlife-crossing-world-
Great video on the Singapore eco bridge shows the animals which have been captured on camera.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w82a1FT5o88
visitbritain.com
visittheusa.co.uk
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/green-bridges-safer-travel-for-wildlife
About the author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
No comments:
Post a Comment