Repost This ArticleI GREW UP IN Littleton, Colorado, a suburb of Denver that was forcefully inserted into miles of open prairie land back in the late ’80s. This is where the sprawling eastern plains meet the Hogbacks, the very beginnings of the Rocky Mountains. 25 years later, we still have more open space than most areas of suburban Denver, but the buildup of a major highway and a network of suburbs has disconnected the deer, coyotes, bears, and mountain lions from their natural thoroughfare between the plains and the mountains.
Before the buildup, baby deer would run down the street in the morning if you could wake up early enough to catch them, and coyotes howled every night. Nowadays such sightings are rare, and the vast majority of these animals either won’t risk the highway, or get hit by cars in the process. The first elk I’ve seen in years made his way into the neighborhood this summer to snack on our neighbor’s unmowed lawn, and he looked mightily confused about how he managed the maneuver.
Here are 6 ingenious wildlife crossings that help make the journey as natural as possible for the four-legged travelers of the world. 
Ecoduct, Netherlands
The Dutch are revolutionizing wildlife crossings and trying to put an end to the habitat fragmentation caused by human made structures.
I-90 in Washington, USA
This is a mockup of an overpass being designed for highway improvements near Keechelus Lake. Construction is set to begin in 2014 at the earliest. Officials are using the Banff overpass for inspiration.Photo: WSDOT
Intermission
Grevesmülen, Germany
The Germans call this the “Green Bridge” over the A20 highway.Photo: Wikipedia
Montana, USA
An “animal bridge” helps wildlife cross the road in one of Montana’s national parks.Photo: The Pedigree Artist
Christmas Island National Park, Australia
How many places in the world can you see a sign for "crab crossing"? Christmas Island's red crabs make one of the 10 great animal migrations you can witness.
Emily Hanssen Arent
Emily Hanssen Arent is a writer and traveler who has found a home in Boulder, Copenhagen, and Jerusalem. She is currently a graduate student of Middle Eastern Studies in Tel Aviv, Israel, where she writes, studies, and struggles daily with Hebrew and Arabic. You can follow her @emilyharent.
Sarah they do work out. It helps people from crashing and migrations from getting messed up. If we had maybe two or three possibly more it would help a great deal. One won’t cut it. This story is about a movement an innovation in wild life protection. Its a damn good start!
Oh, my goodness! At first, I thought the crab crossing was a crossing for some very large, terrifying spiders! HA! Must stop watching horror movies. These are all quite wonderful. Thank you so much for bringing these to our attention! It’s lovely to see, and to know that so many creature’s lives will be saved by these!
Same here
Very cool
The Animal’s Bridge is on the Flathead Indian Reservation.