Purr-fect Puma Crossings
February 21, 2024 @ 12:00PM — 1:00PM Pacific Time (US & Canada)
Ahíga Sandoval, Co-Principal and Field Operations Manager at Pathways for Wildlife, will share new research about how mountain lions are using highway crossings along Highway 395 and Highway 17 in California. By watching Ahíga’s terrific video footage, you’ll see several lion families, witness cubs growing up over time, and be amazed by a menagerie of other wildlife using the crossings as well. This research is helping highway planners find ideal spots for lion crossings in California and other states, and it’s also helping those planners understand what kinds of crossings work best for different animals on different landscapes. Too many lions are being killed along roadways, and helping mountain lions to cross roads safely also reduces the genetic isolation of different lion communities. Fortunately, research like Ahíga’s is shedding light on how we can coexist with and ensure the long-term survival of divided lion populations, especially in the face of expanding human communities and highway systems everywhere mountain lions live.
About the Presenter
Ahíga Sandoval is a wildlife researcher and the co-owner of Pathways for Wildlife, a research organization specializing in conducting wildlife connectivity and road ecology studies for habitat conservation. Ahíga grew up with a fascination with how wildlife move across landscapes and how they interact with roadways as they travel. As a certified wildlife tracker with a background in ethology, Ahíga is always trying to capture compelling wildlife footage to help connect key habitats.