Road Kill
PEER has launched a multi-level campaign to reduce road-kill on public lands. Although exact numbers are hard to come by, with countless possible crossing points along the four million miles of roads traversing the country, and extrapolating from studies limited to a certain area or species, it is estimated that over one million vertebrate animals fall victim to automobile collisions every day. Thats one animal every 11.5 seconds.
What would come as a shock to many Americans who care about wildlife is how many of these pointless deaths are occurring on highways that cut through Americas national parks and other areas set aside to protect our natural heritage and resources. The mangled bodies of animals of all kinds are an increasingly common sight greeting visitors to some of our nations most spectacular natural treasures - national parks, forests, grasslands, and wildlife refuges the very places we would expect wildlife to have the most protection.
Through public education, media exposure and, when necessary, legal action, PEER is putting pressure on the Park Service to take affirmative steps to reduce road-kill, such as utilizing wildlife crossings, sensors or other means to mitigate animal fatalities, and to enforce its own rules governing off-road vehicle usage in the parks.