Imagine the following scenario: where it lives, an anteater is free to walk around everywhere. That is, until the local vegetation is cleared, and a highway is built. What happens then? “Animals try to cross the highway, since it is in their habitat,” explains Fernanda Abra, a biologist who owns the company ViaFauna. “Unfortunately, sometimes, they end up being run over by vehicles.”

To prevent animals from being hit during these crossings, Fernanda and ViaFauna work together with those responsible for highways to install fences and build underground tunnels or bridges for animal crossings. This helps prevent them from getting hit by vehicles. The company has already operated on highways in nine Brazilian states: Bahia, Espírito Santo, Goiás, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, Rondônia, and São Paulo.

“Getting run over is one of the problems that most affect Brazilian animals, especially those in danger of extinction, such as ocelots, maned wolves, pumas, meadow foxes, among others”, explains Fernanda. According to her, by using a combination of fences, tunnels, and bridges, it is possible to reduce cases by up to 86%.

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According to the Brazilian Center for Highway Ecology Studies (CBEE) at the Federal University of Lavras, in Minas Gerais state, close to 470 million wild animals are killed on the highways every year.

Questions
1) Why are the bridges and tunnels built by the project useful?
a) They are a warning so animals do not pass there.
b) They are a safe place for animals to reproduce.
c) They are a hiding place.
d) They function as a safe place for animals to cross the highways.

2) What else do you think humans could do to help protect animals in their habitat?

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