Road Watch in the Pass

04/23/2026

Known worldwide as an ecotourism destination for its rich biodiversity, the Pantanal biome is home to many of Brazil’s iconic species. But wildlife habitat in and around this vast, tropical landscape is gradually shrinking as land is cleared for production of some of the country’s biggest import...

03/31/2026

SHE ISN'T STUPID. SHE IS BLIND.

You are driving down a dark highway with your high beams blazing. A doe stands dead center on the asphalt, staring blankly as you hurtle toward her.

We usually curse the "stupid" animal, assuming she is frozen in a panic.

The reality is entirely physiological. She isn't paralyzed by fear; she is blinded. Deer eyes are optimized for low-light survival. They possess a tapetum lucidum—a reflective layer that drastically amplifies available light. When your high beams hit her, that layer overloads her retinas. It is the exact equivalent of a human staring directly into a flashbang. She is standing in total darkness, surrounded by roaring noise, unable to see where the road ends and the forest begins.

Right now in March, this danger peaks. The first green shoots of spring are growing directly on the warm road shoulders, drawing starving deer right to the pavement.

Ecologically, the US sees over 1.5 million deer-vehicle collisions annually, resulting in massive wildlife loss and billions in damages.

If you spot a deer, immediately drop your lights to low beam and brake. Studies show dipping your lights gives her retinas the 8 seconds they need to recover.

She isn't frozen by stupidity. She just needs to see the way home.

03/30/2026

11/21/2025

🚦 On Sept. 15, the Pronghorn Xing team hosted a virtual road ecology conference, bringing together experts to discuss wildlife-vehicle collision mitigation, prairie connectivity, and species-specific research. The day was capped off with an open, facilitated conversation to highlight key insights from the day and explore future opportunities for wildlife and road safety in Saskatchewan.

Presentations are now available on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/3ysdRZykpD8?si=rPzsYumbu5o3laGJ

Partners: Alberta Conservation Association and Canadian Wildlife Federation / Fédération canadienne de la faune

Funders: Environment and Climate Change, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Parks Canada's National Ecological Corridors Program

11/21/2025

08/20/2025

Canada is redefining road safety — not just for humans, but for wildlife too. Its innovative animal overpasses, designed to look and feel like natural landscapes, allow bears, deer, moose, wolves, and even cougars to cross highways without risk. These green bridges are covered with soil, plants, and trees, blending into the surrounding environment so animals feel safe using them.

One of the most famous examples is in Banff National Park, Alberta, where decades of monitoring show an 80% reduction in wildlife-vehicle collisions and hundreds of successful crossings every month. Now, countries around the world are adopting Canada’s model, proving that smart engineering can keep ecosystems connected and save countless lives — animal and human alike.