It sounds like the plot of a Disney movie: A mountain lion prevented from finding a mate because he’s trapped by L.A. freeways becomes famous and inspires the construction of the world’s largest wildlife overpass. But it really happened. “He was surviving in a space much, much smaller than any male mountain lion ever had — eight square miles,” explained Beth Pratt, the California Director of the National Wildlife Federation. “The average male mountain lion territory is 150 square miles.” The cougar, named P-22, became a celebrity among Hollywood stars who would sometimes spot him as he roamed the neighborhoods near Los Angeles’ Griffith Park. “A mountain lion lived in L.A. and people didn’t fear him,” said Pratt, who has memorialized P-22 on her arm with a tattoo. “They saw him as a neighbor; they’d be eating dinner and he’d walk by their dining room at night and they’d share a photo and be like: ‘Hey, P-22 visited me.’” Because of P-22’s popularity, people wanted to help the mountain lion — and others like him — roam the areas beyond Los Angeles’ bustling six-lane 101 Freeway. The idea of a wildlife overpass was garnering interest, but funding it was another issue. So Pratt, who is most comfortable outdoors in casual clothes and hiking boots, found herself in swanky Bel Air mansions, pleading for endowments. Donations poured in from celebrities including Leonardo DiCaprio, Rainn Wilson, Barbra Streisand and David Crosby, and support also came from Watts residents in South Los Angeles. Some 300,000 to 400,000 cars a day will pass underneath the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Overpass when it opens in two years. The crossing includes specially designed sound walls, along with natural sound barriers of tall trees and lush plantings. Everything is designed to filter out the noise of the freeway, since most animals get frightened and turn around if it’s too noisy. Engineers are also taking into account animals’ fear of bright lights. “All the lights of those headlights are a deterrent to wildlife,” Pratt explained. “We’re actually designing light barriers — not just on the crossing but in the approach — so they won’t get scared and turn around, which is what happens.” The wildlife crossing is a public-private project, spearheaded by the National Wildlife Federation along with California’s transportation department. About half of the US$100 million cost was funded by private donations, including US$26 million from philanthropist Wallis Annenberg, whose contribution was instrumental in propelling the project forward. The project also comes with economic benefits in the form of new jobs and has human safety benefits. P-22 won’t be around to use the wildlife crossing that he helped inspire. In December 2022, just a few months after the National Wildlife Federation and California’s transportation department broke ground on the bridge, the cougar died. Although his death was heartbreaking, Pratt said he actually lived a long life for a mountain lion. “But more than that, he used his celebrity for good. I call him the ‘ultimate cougar celebrity influencer.’” His story, she said, ensured a future for other mountain lions in the region. Wildlife crossings were first constructed in France in the 1950’s. They’re in use across Europe, and are especially popular in the Netherlands. (SD-Agencies) Words to Learn 相關詞匯 【名人】 míngrén celebrity someone who is famous 【慈善家】 císhànjiā philanthropist someone who gives money to help people who are poor or sick, or to pay for things such as museums or schools that are good for society 這聽起來像是迪斯尼電影里的情節：一只山獅被困在洛杉磯的高速公路系統里無法找到配偶成了社區“網紅”；為了它的福祉，人們要修建世界上最大的野生動物立交橋。 然而，這是個真實的故事。 全美野生動物聯盟加利福尼亞州主任貝絲?普拉特說：“它的領地只有 8 平方英里，比任何一頭雄性山獅都小得多，它們的平均領地是150平方英里。” 這只美洲獅被命名為P-22，有時在洛杉磯格里菲斯公園附近的街區游蕩，在眾多好萊塢明星中頗有名氣。 普拉特說：“這只山獅住在洛杉磯，人們并不害怕它。”普拉特在自己的手臂上刺了一個紋身來紀念P-22。 她說：“人們視它為鄰居；它晚餐時路過人們的餐廳，他們會分享它的照片說：‘嘿，P-22來看我了’。” 由于P-22很受歡迎，人們希望幫助這只山獅以及其它面臨類似困境的獅子，希望它們能離開洛杉磯城里繁忙的六車道101高速路，去其他地方漫游。 修建野生動物立交橋的想法引起了人們的興趣，但資金卻是難題。 于是，普拉特穿著戶外活動時的休閑服和登山鞋開始造訪貝萊爾別墅區的豪華宅邸，懇求大家捐款。 萊昂納多?迪卡普里奧、雷恩?威爾森、芭芭拉?史翠珊和大衛?克羅斯比等明星慷慨解囊，洛杉磯南部瓦茨區的居民也表示支持。 沃利斯?安納伯格野生動物立交橋將于兩年后啟用，屆時每天將有約30至40萬輛汽車從橋下通過。 為了過濾掉高速公路的噪音，該立交橋有專門設計的隔音墻以及由高大樹木和郁郁蔥蔥的植物組成的天然隔音屏障。如果噪音太大，大多數動物都會受驚嚇而折返。 工程師還考慮到了動物對強光的恐懼。 普拉特解釋說：“車頭燈的強光對野生動物來說是一種威脅。我們不僅在立交橋上設計光屏障，而且在上橋的引路上也這樣做，這樣動物就不會受驚嚇而折返。” 野生動物立交橋是一個公私合營項目，由美國國家野生動物協會和加利福尼亞州交通部門共同發起。項目造價1億美元，約一半來自私人捐款，其中包括慈善家沃利斯?安納伯格捐贈的2600萬美元，這筆捐款對項目的推進起到了重要作用。 該項目還帶來了新的工作崗位等經濟效益，也有益行車道上駕駛員的安全。 遺憾的是，P-22沒機會使用這條野生動物通道了。2022年12月，就在全美野生動物聯盟和加州交通部門破土動工修建這座橋幾個月后，這只美洲獅死了。 普拉特說，雖然消息令人心碎，但對于一頭山獅來說，它已經算長壽了。她說：“更重要的是，P-22 的‘名人效應’結了善果。我稱它為‘超極美洲獅網紅’。該地區其它山獅因為它的故事而擁有了更加光明的未來。” 20世紀50年代，法國修建了第一個野生動物通道。而今歐洲各地都建有這種通道，在荷蘭尤為流行。(Translated by Debra) | 