Gary and Shannon

Gary and Shannon

Listen to Gary and Shannon Weekdays 9 AM - 1 PM on KFI AM 640!Full Bio

 

COVID-19 is saving animals from becoming roadkill

Here's one bit of good news for you, ironically brought to us by COVID-19. A new report from UC Davis shows that during the stay-at-home order from Mid-March to Mid-April road traffic went down 70 percent in California, Maine, and Idaho.

While there were less people on the roads, the study also found that crashes involving deer, bears, and other big animals dropped in those three states. Maine saw 44 percent less roadkill while California's went down 21 percent.

Mountain lion deaths in our state went down by 58 percent. The study estimates there are about 1 billion roadkill deaths in the U.S. every year, but if this stay-at-home trend continues we could see about 200 million animal lives spared annually.

The humans may be hurt the most during the Coronavirus battle, but the animals are thriving and taking over! Fraser Shilling, co-director of the Road Ecology Center at UC Davis, told The Washington Post:

“From a humanity point of view, it sucks. But from a science point of view, it’s all interesting.”

When you do have to drive, keep your eyes peeled for any critters. There may be more out and about right now!

Click here to read the full study from UC Davis.


Join the conversation with Yappa

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content