The very first photograph of a large mammal using a giant wildlife crossing that spans one of the USA’s busiest freeways has been captured by a trail camera – and scientists are hoping to photograph many more.
The image in question shows a rather wily coyote using the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing (WAWC) in the early hours of the morning.
According to a Facebook post by the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, the canine was photographed at 01:37, just days after NPS biologists had installed a series of camera traps.
Remarkably, the crossing is still under construction and isn’t set to open until December 02 – suggesting that it’s going to be a resounding success.
This isn’t the first coyote spotted at the crossing, either. A few days earlier on October 28, a scientist photographed another one climbing up the installation’s southern slope at 06:05. And that’s just large mammals.
According to P22 Mountain Lion of Hollywood, an enterprising little western fence lizard was actually the first animal recorded on the WAWC.
The crossing spans the Ventura Freeway at Liberty Canyon, in California’s Agoura Hills, and is one of the busiest roads in the country with over 300,000 vehicles passing through every day.
The crossing was initially set up to help protect the area’s cougar population, which is in sharp decline. According to the crossing’s website, these big cats could become extinct within the region.
But cougars aren’t the only large mammals to frequent the area, with bobcats and of course coyotes also set to benefit.
This is another example of how camera technology has become a vital component of wildlife conservation.
Trail cameras, also known as camera traps, are designed to be left out in the elements so that they’re ready to capture passing wildlife 24/7, but they don’t come cheap. Thankfully, funding was provided by the John Logan Foundation to purchase the necessary devices.
Most trail cams use passive infrared sensors to detect approaching wildlife, and are both durable and weather-sealed to protect them from the elements.
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