To honor Earth Day, let’s think about how we can make Earth a better place for animals. Do you take a busy road to your home or school? Do you see animals trying to cross these roads? More buildings and roads can take away animal habitats. These roads can break up migration routes. A migration route is a path an animal takes each year. Engineers are building wildlife crossings and tunnels to help animals.
In Massachusetts, salamanders can safely cross Henry Street. One of the first animal crossings in North America was built there in 1987. Salamanders still use it every year during migration.
Wildlife crossings are covered in grass and trees. They are built over busy highways. They allow deer, bobcats, and bears to avoid being hit by cars.
Busy highways aren’t the only threat to animals. Dams built by humans have made it hard for salmon to travel upstream. That is where they lay eggs each year. A salmon cannon was created to fix this problem on the Columbia River. A salmon cannon is a plastic tube that pushes the fish quickly through the tube and over a dam!
Two bridges in Australia help animals. Millions of red crabs leave the forest and head to the beach. They use a metal bridge made especially for them. A rope bridge helps squirrel gliders cross a highway. Cockatoos and possums also use the bridge!
What Can You Do? What could you do to make life safer for the animals in your community?
Reading Response Click on this link to respond to your reading. Print out the response page or upload it to your classroom site.
Photo Credit: Traci Tatman
