Highways that cut through wild areas present a daunting barrier for local wildlife. In Washington State, the Olympic Cougar Project—a partnership between a coalition of Native American tribes and the Washington State Department of Transportation—is studying the movements of cougars as they wander through parts of the Olympic Peninsula. Information gathered by the group could lead to the placement of wildlife crossings over Interstate 5—bridges built for wandering animals, intended to improve the overall health of the ecosystem. Stephanie Keith, a photographer with Reuters, recently joined project members as they tracked a wild cougar named Lilu.
Tracking Cougars to Figure Out Where to Build a Bridge
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![A half-dozen people are gathered around an unconscious wild cougar that is laid on a blue tarp on a forest floor among many ferns.]()
Read moreOlympic Cougar Project members work to replace the GPS collar on Lilu, a wild cougar, near Port Angeles, Washington, on December 14, 2021. #
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![A view of snow-covered mountains and a partially-logged valley.]()
Read moreA view of the mountains of the Olympic Peninsula near Port Angeles on December 13, 2021. #
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![A person sits in a vehicle, checking a map-based tracking app on their phone.]()
Read moreVanessa Castle, a member of the Olympic Cougar Project, uses her phone to track the wild cougar named Lilu on December 13, 2021. "As an Indigenous person, we are taught that we have to walk in two worlds, one of our traditional sense and one of the modern-day sense," said Castle, a Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe member who works for the project. "I think it changes the way these scientists think about these animals." #
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![Two people stand beside a snow-covered forest road, one holding two dogs on a leash.]()
Read moreAndy Stratton, a senior file technician and member of the Olympic Cougar Project, holds on to his dogs before tracking Lilu on December 14, 2021. #
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![A person stands in a forest holding an antenna aloft.]()
Read moreRead Barbee, a field technician and member of the Olympic Cougar Project, tracks Lilu using a device that detects radio waves, near Port Angeles, on December 14, 2021. #
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![A cougar is seen perched on branches high in a tree.]()
Read moreLilu, a wild cougar, is spotted, hiding in a tree, on December 14, 2021. #
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![Several people stand in a forest, preparing a rifle to fire a tranquilizer dart.]()
Read moreDave Manson (center), a project biologist and member of the Olympic Cougar Project, prepares to dart Lilu with a tranquilizer on December 14, 2021. #
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![Several people kneel down, holding an unconscious cougar as it lies on a tarp on a forest floor, while one person works on a collar fitted to the animal.]()
Read moreOlympic Cougar Project members work to replace the GPS collar on Lilu on December 14, 2021. #
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![A collared cougar walks across snow-covered logs in a a forest.]()
Read moreLilu walks back into the forest after the battery on her GPS collar was replaced by members of the Olympic Cougar Project, near Port Angeles, on December 14, 2021. #
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![A dirt-covered bridge crosses a freeway, joining forested area on either side.]()
Read moreA handout photo taken on October 30, 2019, features a land bridge for wildlife in another part of Washington State—crossing Interstate 90 near Snoqualmie Pass. Researchers on the Olympic Peninsula are helping to determine the best location for a possible wildlife crossing like this over Interstate 5. #
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![A person holds a device with a screen showing a brightly-colored map.]()
Read moreGlen Kalisz, a habitat-connectivity biologist with the Washington State Department of Transportation, shows data he collected about cougar habitats near Olympia, Washington, on December 17, 2021. Some 100,000 cars travel along I-5 each day, blocking cougars and other wildlife from crossing to the other side of the freeway. "It is likely one of the worst barriers for all species in the state," Kalisz said. #
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![A person places their hand on the ground among moss, wet leaves, and mud, to show a paw print.]()
Read moreMark Elbroch, a member of the Olympic Cougar Project and a scientist for Panthera, points out a cougar print near Sequim, Washington, on December 16, 2021. #
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![A person kneels down to check a trail camera attached to the trunk of a tree.]()
Read moreGlen Kalisz checks a trail camera that generates data about habitat connectivity for cougars near Olympia, on December 17, 2021. #
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![A person in a forest holds up their phone to show a photo of a cougar taken by a trail camera.]()
Read moreGlen Kalisz shows a photo of a cougar taken by the trail camera, next to the I-5 freeway near Olympia, on December 17, 2021. #
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![A view of a six-lane highway among pine trees.]()
Read moreTraffic on Interstate 5 is seen near Olympia, Washington, on December 17, 2021. #
Stephanie Keith / Reuters
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