It sounds like the plot of a Disney movie: A mountain lion prevented from finding a mate because he’s trapped by L.A. freeways becomes famous and inspires the construction of the world’s largest wildlife overpass. But it really happened.

“He was surviving in a space much, much smaller than any male mountain lion ever had — eight square miles,” explained Beth Pratt, the California Director of the National Wildlife Federation. “The average male mountain lion territory is 150 square miles.”

The cougar, named P-22, became a celebrity among Hollywood stars who would sometimes spot him as he roamed the neighborhoods near Los Angeles’ Griffith Park.

“A mountain lion lived in L.A. and people didn’t fear him,” said Pratt, who has memorialized P-22 on her arm with a tattoo. “They saw him as a neighbor; they’d be eating dinner and he’d walk by their dining room at night and they’d share a photo and be like: ‘Hey, P-22 visited me.’”

Because of P-22’s popularity, people wanted to help the mountain lion — and others like him — roam the areas beyond Los Angeles’ bustling six-lane 101 Freeway. The idea of a wildlife overpass was garnering interest, but funding it was another issue.

So Pratt, who is most comfortable outdoors in casual clothes and hiking boots, found herself in swanky Bel Air mansions, pleading for endowments.

Donations poured in from celebrities including Leonardo DiCaprio, Rainn Wilson, Barbra Streisand and David Crosby, and support also came from Watts residents in South Los Angeles.

Some 300,000 to 400,000 cars a day will pass underneath the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Overpass when it opens in two years.

The crossing includes specially designed sound walls, along with natural sound barriers of tall trees and lush plantings. Everything is designed to filter out the noise of the freeway, since most animals get frightened and turn around if it’s too noisy.

Engineers are also taking into account animals’ fear of bright lights.

“All the lights of those headlights are a deterrent to wildlife,” Pratt explained. “We’re actually designing light barriers — not just on the crossing but in the approach — so they won’t get scared and turn around, which is what happens.”

The wildlife crossing is a public-private project, spearheaded by the National Wildlife Federation along with California’s transportation department. About half of the US$100 million cost was funded by private donations, including US$26 million from philanthropist Wallis Annenberg, whose contribution was instrumental in propelling the project forward.

The project also comes with economic benefits in the form of new jobs and has human safety benefits.

P-22 won’t be around to use the wildlife crossing that he helped inspire. In December 2022, just a few months after the National Wildlife Federation and California’s transportation department broke ground on the bridge, the cougar died.

Although his death was heartbreaking, Pratt said he actually lived a long life for a mountain lion.

“But more than that, he used his celebrity for good. I call him the ‘ultimate cougar celebrity influencer.’” His story, she said, ensured a future for other mountain lions in the region.

Wildlife crossings were first constructed in France in the 1950’s. They’re in use across Europe, and are especially popular in the Netherlands.

(SD-Agencies)

Words to Learn 相关词汇

【名人】

míngrén

celebrity

someone who is famous

【慈善家】

císhànjiā

philanthropist

someone who gives money to help people who are poor or sick, or to pay for things such as museums or schools that are good for society

这听起来像是迪斯尼电影里的情节：一只山狮被困在洛杉矶的高速公路系统里无法找到配偶成了社区“网红”；为了它的福祉，人们要修建世界上最大的野生动物立交桥。

然而，这是个真实的故事。

全美野生动物联盟加利福尼亚州主任贝丝•普拉特说：“它的领地只有 8 平方英里，比任何一头雄性山狮都小得多，它们的平均领地是150平方英里。”

这只美洲狮被命名为P-22，有时在洛杉矶格里菲斯公园附近的街区游荡，在众多好莱坞明星中颇有名气。

普拉特说：“这只山狮住在洛杉矶，人们并不害怕它。”普拉特在自己的手臂上刺了一个纹身来纪念P-22。

她说：“人们视它为邻居；它晚餐时路过人们的餐厅，他们会分享它的照片说：‘嘿，P-22来看我了’。”

由于P-22很受欢迎，人们希望帮助这只山狮以及其它面临类似困境的狮子，希望它们能离开洛杉矶城里繁忙的六车道101高速路，去其他地方漫游。

修建野生动物立交桥的想法引起了人们的兴趣，但资金却是难题。

于是，普拉特穿着户外活动时的休闲服和登山鞋开始造访贝莱尔别墅区的豪华宅邸，恳求大家捐款。

莱昂纳多•迪卡普里奥、雷恩•威尔森、芭芭拉•史翠珊和大卫•克罗斯比等明星慷慨解囊，洛杉矶南部瓦茨区的居民也表示支持。

沃利斯•安纳伯格野生动物立交桥将于两年后启用，届时每天将有约30至40万辆汽车从桥下通过。

为了过滤掉高速公路的噪音，该立交桥有专门设计的隔音墙以及由高大树木和郁郁葱葱的植物组成的天然隔音屏障。如果噪音太大，大多数动物都会受惊吓而折返。

工程师还考虑到了动物对强光的恐惧。

普拉特解释说：“车头灯的强光对野生动物来说是一种威胁。我们不仅在立交桥上设计光屏障，而且在上桥的引路上也这样做，这样动物就不会受惊吓而折返。”

野生动物立交桥是一个公私合营项目，由美国国家野生动物协会和加利福尼亚州交通部门共同发起。项目造价1亿美元，约一半来自私人捐款，其中包括慈善家沃利斯•安纳伯格捐赠的2600万美元，这笔捐款对项目的推进起到了重要作用。

该项目还带来了新的工作岗位等经济效益，也有益行车道上驾驶员的安全。

遗憾的是，P-22没机会使用这条野生动物通道了。2022年12月，就在全美野生动物联盟和加州交通部门破土动工修建这座桥几个月后，这只美洲狮死了。

普拉特说，虽然消息令人心碎，但对于一头山狮来说，它已经算长寿了。她说：“更重要的是，P-22 的‘名人效应’结了善果。我称它为‘超极美洲狮网红’。该地区其它山狮因为它的故事而拥有了更加光明的未来。”

20世纪50年代，法国修建了第一个野生动物通道。而今欧洲各地都建有这种通道，在荷兰尤为流行。(Translated by Debra)