Home»All Photographs»Highways, wildlife, and mitigation measures»Wildlife jump-outs or escape ramps

If wildlife fences are designed and maintained well, and if enough safe crossing opportunities are provided for at the right locations with the appropriate dimensions, relatively few animals will end up in the fenced road corridor. However, sometimes they do get caught in between the fences, and that is an accident waiting to happen. Wildlife jump-outs or escape ramps are designed to allow animals to escape from the fenced road corridor. An earthen ramp allows animals to walk up to the height of the fence, and then they can jump down to safety. Ideally jump-outs should be low enough so that animals will readily jump down to the safe side of the fence, and high enough to discourage them from jumping into the fenced road corridor. Some jump-outs have a short section of fence on top of the jump-out. This is to encourage the animals to walk up to the edge and jump down. Jump-outs or escape ramps are thought to be most effective when they are a bit further away from the road, and if some vegetation or other cover is present that blocks the view of passing vehicles.

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