California roadkill report names deadliest highways, costs

DAVIS, Calif. (AP) — Tens of thousands of mountain lions, bears, bighorn sheep, squirrels, birds and lizards have met their fate in collisions with vehicles across California. That’s according to a “roadkill” report that names Interstate 280 in the San Francisco Bay Area as the state’s deadliest highway for wildlife. The Road Ecology Center at the University of California, Davis mapped about 15,000 miles of roadways to identify stretches where wildlife-vehicle collisions are most likely to occur. Mountain lions and black bears are most vulnerable to traffic collisions because they often cross highways amid shrinking habitat.