LANCASHIRE, England — Wildlife bridges are sometimes built over major highways at select locations in North America, trying avoid collisions between vehicles and animals that are often fatal to the wildlife and sometimes to drivers, as well. In Canada’s Banff National Park, such bridges have seen significant use by bears, moose, and elk.
In England, plans have been announced to build a bridge over a rail line to protect a somewhat smaller creature: the hazel dormouse.
Network Rail, the owner of most of Britain’s infrastructure, has announced plans to build a tiny crossing over its Furness line in Lancashire in northwest England, in an effort to save the endangered mammal from extinction. The £40,000 (about $52,900) project will build a 12-meter long treetop structure, shielded to provide protection from predators, on the side of an existing overpass. It will connect two areas chosen to establish new populations for the dormouse, which is about 3.9 inches in length (6.3 inches with tail) and weighs about an ounce. The dormouse population has decreased by more than 50% since 2000.
“We hope that this new bridge will enable two neighboring populations to create a local metapopulation in the area, which will really to help bring this rare and beautiful species back from the brink,” Ian White, dormouse and training officer at the People’s Trust for Endangered Species, said in a press release. The organization is partnering with Network Rail on the project. Network Rail senior sponsor Rory Kingdon said the company was “delighted” to take part in the project so the dormice “have a fighting chance to thrive for generations to come.”
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