Lynx image captures world's imagination | Local News | Rocky Mountain Outlook

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A Canada lynx uses the Redearth Creek wildlife overpass to cross the Trans-Canada Highway in Banff National Park at 8:34 a.m. on March 28. Since 1996, over 200,000 animals, including grizzlies, wolves and cougars, have safely crossed the highway using wildlife overpasses and underpasses. Highwaywilding.org PHOTO

Apr 19, 2012 | Rocky Mountain Outlook | Cathy Ellis

A rare photo of a lynx crossing a wildlife overpass on the Trans-Canada Highway in Banff National Park has captured the imagination of people around the world.

The high quality image of the lynx from a motion-sensitive camera has garnered media attention from across Canada, the United States and England, including a feature piece on the Discovery Channel earlier this week.

Tony Clevenger, lead scientist on crossing structure research, said the photo highlights the importance of these structures for wildlife conservation, but the real story lies in the impact of this photo.

“I think it demonstrates the power of compelling photos in telling the story and educating the public about the importance of crossing structures as a form of highway mitigation,” he said.

“If we can educate people about these safe passage measures and the importance of them, we’ll get better traction when we try to mitigate highways elsewhere.”

The rare image of the lynx was captured by remote camera on March 28 at 8:34 a.m. It’s the sixth lynx recorded using either the underpasses or overpasses since monitoring began in 1996.

This was the second lynx crossing at the Redearth Creek overpass this year.

Locally, the photo illustrates the important role wildlife structures play in helping prevent animal deaths on roads, as well as providing lynx with access to diverse habitats on both sides on the Trans-Canada Highway...

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