$114M SoCal wildlife crossing to track whether animals are happy with taxpayer-funded bridge

Researchers are concerned about how animals really feel about a long-awaited and over-budget wildlife crossing — attaching tracking collars to measure data linked to their emotions.The $114 million Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing is set to open over the 101 Freeway in December and will reconnect species like mountain lions and bears that were cut off from land opposite the busy thoroughfare.Officials held a press conference on Thursday at the site of bridge, explaining that said animals will wear “biologging tags” that will measure their heart rate, GPS data and body temperature.The biggest news, opinion and culture shaping California right now.

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Never miss a story “We’ll be able to see not just how the animals move near the crossing, but how they are physiologically affected,” said Seth Riley, chief wildlife ecologist for the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.The goal of the tags is to see how animals interact with the bridge.“Are they happy to go up on there and their heart rate doesn’t change, or what is it like to be near the freeway? That will be a new kind of data that we’re interested in,” Riley added.Scientists have begun fitting deer with the tags and mountain lions are up next, they said.Beth Pratt, president of the Wildlife Crossing Fund, said the bridge is about conserving wildlife and making sure mountain lions don’t go extinct.California Post News: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, WhatsApp, LinkedInCalifornia Post Sports Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, XCalifornia Post Opinion California Post Newsletters: Sign up here!California Post App: Download here!Home delivery: Sign up here!Page Six Hollywood: Sign up here!“The crossing is about the next century of wildlife preservation in the Santa Monica Mountains.It’s about the mountain lion populatio...