Puma Survives, Hit by Vehicle on Mexico’s Federal Highway 15
HERMOSILLO, Sonora — On May 18, an incident occurred where a puma was hit by a semi-trailer truck on Mexico’s Federal Highway 15, at kilometer marker 201 between Imuris and Magdalena.
Witnesses saw the puma get hit while trying to cross the road. The animal was motionless in in the median between the four lanes, which led to the assumption that it had died. However, the animal began to move and made its way to the side of the road. In photos and videos recorded by people at the scene, the puma is bleeding profusely near its muzzle.
Roads fragment this region, which is habitat for widely distributed species such as the black bear (Ursus americanus), jaguar (Panthera onca), puma (Puma concolor) and ocelot (Leopardus pardalis).
César Pacheco from Civil Protection, responded to the report of the witnesses. Ímuris Civil Protection, local firefighters, and personnel from Federal Roads and Bridges, Public Safety, and the National Guard were at the scene. According to Mr. Pacheco, the animal had been recovering from the accident for about an hour, and they were waiting for a veterinarian to arrive to attend to the feline. However, minutes before he arrived, the puma got up and began to run east into the vegetation next to the highway, crossing the south-north lanes of the highway.
Biologist Mirna Manteca, Road Ecology Coordinator for the international conservation organization Wildlands Network, explained, "This site is of great importance for wildlife on the move, as it connects the Sierra La Madera, also known as Sierra Magdalena, to the east, with the Sierra Cibuta and Sierra Atascosa, to the northwest. These mountains are sites with a high diversity of flora and fauna, part of Islas del Cielo (Sky Islands) and home to oak and pine forests, surrounded by a 'sea' of desert. The animals that inhabit these places, like this puma, have to descend to flatter lands to cross into the surrounding mountains in search of water, food, and mates."
"Thousands of animals are killed on Mexican highways every day. In this particular case, we were able to find out about the accident thanks to responsible citizens who reported the incident to the corresponding authorities. This leads us to believe that people's perceptions have changed over the years: What was once a feeling of fear of these misunderstood animals has changed to a sense of empathy for them."
The nonprofit organization Wildlands Network seeks to reconnect North America's wilderness so that life—in all its diversity—can thrive. Since 2014, it has been working to petition the federal government to install wildlife crossings on priority highways in the state of Sonora to protect both wildlife and motorists.
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Resources
A video of the injured animal has been circling on social media. Please note that the video is graphic.
Contacts
Mirna Manteca, Wildlands Network, (662)-120-5096, mirna@wildlandsnetwork.org
About
Since 1991, Wildlands Network has been reconnecting, restoring, and rewilding North America so that life in all of its diversity can thrive.
