Hitting wildlife while driving on Wyoming roads is all too familiar for many residents, and a new study shows that the statistic is on the rise.
At least 21 big-game road collisions happen every day in the state, according to a report from The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in Wyoming. Corinna Riginos, the director of science at TNC, led the research and said that number is about double compared to 15 years ago.
“A lot of it has to do with traffic volume just rising over time,” she said. “But, it's not because our big game numbers are increasing. On the contrary, our mule deer numbers, which account for the vast majority of collisions, have been declining. So the per population impact is actually going up.”
Riginos said the number of animals hit could double again by 2035 if there is not more prevention implemented. Her research shows wildlife bridges and underpasses are some of the most effective methods.
“In the state where underpasses and occasionally overpasses have been put in, the number of collisions has gone down by like 80 to 90 percent in those places,” she said. “So they're hugely effective.”
Some notable wildlife crossing structures sites are north of Pinedale, west of Kemmerer, on Togwotee Pass and south of Jackson.
Several wildlife crossing projects are currently in the works across the state. For example, nine underpasses are being built between Big Piney and LaBarge in the western part of the state.
Riginios said that hitting wildlife is expensive. Her research estimates it costs $55 million a year in vehicle damage, roadway damage, personal injury and death of wildlife.
Riginos added that even just documenting roadkill can be helpful, because it helps researchers have a more complete data set to study the problem. People can use Wyoming’s 511 app to report a wildlife collision.
