Save Endangered Florida Panthers From Being Hit By Cars!

Two endangered Florida panthers have been found dead recently, struck by cars... 12 have died so far this year because of this.

Add your name if you want to see wildlife crossings over highways all over this precious animal's range, ASAP!

"Two endangered Florida panthers have been found dead from apparent vehicle strikes just days apart after more than a month with no deaths reported.

"They're the 10th and 11th panther deaths attributed to fatal collisions, out of 12 total deaths this year, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

"The remains of a 2-year-old male panther were found Sunday in Collier County on a rural road near Golden Gate, wildlife officials said. A 3-year-old male was found dead Friday near Immokalee. The last panther found before that was March 8, according to state records," reported NBC Miami.

How long do you think this can go on before these precious endangered animals are gone forever?

The good news is that a viable solution has already been found.

Mountain lions in California often die from being hit by vehicles. And the people there decided to do something about it.

"In an effort to prevent such fatalities and to increase the limited gene pool in the Santa Monica Mountains, a coalition known as #SAVELACOUGARS has raised $14 million to build a $60 million wildlife bridge over the 101 Freeway," reported The Los Angeles Daily News.

What a great idea!

Florida's endangered panthers can be saved.

The solution is simple: wildlife crossings.

A wildlife crossing is like a highway overpass, except that it's for animals instead of vehicles.

Many nations are already doing it, and it's saving lives.

"Overpasses play a key role in the western portion of North America, where teeming wildlife corridors are intersected by long roads like the Trans-Canada Highway. Fences help direct the animals toward the safe passages.

"The use of underpasses is spreading, too. These passageways are usually compact, and so are especially helpful to smaller animals—water voles in London, badgers in British Columbia, pumas in Brazil—but in Kenya larger ones are even being used to assist elephant herds.

"They're also serving aquatic species: In Washington state, underpasses recently added to Interstate-90 are linking streams and wetlands back to the Yakima River, to the benefit of salamanders, reptiles, and fish, including the bull trout, a vulnerable species," according to Quartz.

So how do we make this happen?

By making funds available for retrofitting existing highways.

See, here's the thing:

"When a new transportation project is proposed on lands with wildlife habitat, officials managing wildlife in those areas are given notice and can request that engineers design for wildlife.

"However, there isn't a process or dedicated funds established to update existing roads with overcrossings," according to REI.

The best part is that there is already a Senate Bill in progress that would do this very thing.

It's called S.2302: America's Transportation Infrastructure Act of 2019.

That's why we're asking every single member of the Senate to support this crucial piece of bipartisan legislation, and save countless lives - both animal and human - from dying on America's highways.

Don't you want to see wildlife crossings all over the nation?

Then add your name to ask every Senator to support America's Transportation Infrastructure Act of 2019!

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