Wildlife Crossing Rates at the U.S.-Mexico Border
An American black bear paces along the border wall at the San Pedro River in southern Arizona. In the lower right of the photo is one of just a few dozen small wildlife passages in Arizona's wall that helps some, but not all wildlife species cross the border.
Over 60% of Arizona's southern border with Sonora has border wall and new wall construction projects are underway. Sky Island Alliance and Wildlands Network operated a transect of wildlife cameras along 100 miles of border from 2022-2024. The research documented that only 9% of wildlife interactions with the border wall led to successful crossings, an 86% reduction in crossings when compared to vehicle barriers, including a 100% reduction in crossing for large animals like black bears, mountain lions, deer, and wild turkeys. Small wildlife openings in border walls (8.5 inches wide and 11 inches tall) facilitate 16.7 times more movement for some animals like the javelina, mountain lion, and coyote, but more frequent and larger openings are urgently needed.
Link to study:
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/ecology-and-evolution/articles/10…