Coyote Beats the Ribbon-Cutting: Caught on Camera on the Deck of the 101 Wildlife Crossing Weeks Before It Opens
The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing in Agoura Hills, Los Angeles County, California, has not officially opened yet, but its first eager visitor has already arrived. Remote-camera images shared on November 5 by the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area of the National Park Service show a coyote on the deck of the crossing at about 1:35 a.m., moving northward — the first large mammal documented on the deck of the still-unfinished structure itself. Two cameras recorded the animal, directly above the ten lanes of U.S. Highway 101, where more than 300,000 vehicles pass every day.
"First the slope, now the crossing itself – WOW! The wildlife isn't wasting any time!" the park wrote on Instagram. Seeing wildlife explore the structure before construction is even finished is "incredibly exciting," the park said, adding that the crossing is scheduled to officially open to wildlife on December 2, "but apparently the animals didn't get the memo." The images quickly spread on social media, with local outlets such as Secret Los Angeles sharing the news.
It was the crossing's second coyote visitor. Shortly after 6 a.m. on October 28, a coyote was photographed climbing the structure's southern slope, becoming the first large mammal known to climb onto it; at the time, the soil linking the crossing's two spans had not been built up high enough for it to travel the full route, and the Park Service released that photo only on November 4. According to the Los Angeles Times, Beth Pratt of the Wildlife Crossing Fund had pressed Park Service biologist Jeff Sikich to aim a camera at the path toward the crossing's southern side; the camera was installed on October 14 and recorded the first coyote two weeks later. The two had also made predictions: Sikich guessed a coyote would be first, while Pratt picked a mule deer. On seeing the first photo, Pratt said, "Oh my God, it's already working."
Biologists installed additional cameras on the deck on November 3. Whether the coyote recorded in the early hours is the same animal seen on October 28 is not yet certain, and scientists have not confirmed that it completed a full traverse. Researchers plan to track how mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, mule deer and gray foxes approach and use the crossing with more than 50 still-photo cameras, thermal video cameras and GPS collars.
The crossing cost about $114 million and has been under construction since 2022; its main concrete structure is about 210 feet long and 174 feet wide, billed as the largest wildlife crossing of its kind in the world. Spanning both Highway 101 and Agoura Road, it is meant to reconnect the Santa Monica Mountains and Simi Hills habitats, divided by the freeway for decades, so mountain lions and other animals can move safely and improve genetic diversity eroded by inbreeding. "This is more than just about whether animals use the crossing," said Seth Riley, wildlife branch lead at the recreation area. "We want to understand how effective it is in reconnecting an ecosystem that has been divided by the freeway for decades. That is a much bigger scientific question and answering it will take years." A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for December 2.
Source: National Park Service
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: Wallis Annenberg野生动物通道资料图（2025年4月摄，AragonChristopherR17Z摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经Wikimedia Commons），非涉事郊狼
