Singaporeans who drive frequently on the BKE will be familiar with the Eco-Link wildlife bridge which allows wild animals to cross the expressway below safely.
Come December, a similar bridge is slated to open – this time in Mandai.
The overhead crossing, located along Mandai Lake Road, will connect two buffer zones in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve for the first time in 6 decades.
Image courtesy of Mandai Park Holdings
In recent years, the area has seen some roadkill, at times involving rare animals like Sambar deer and leopard cats.
Source
According to CNA, Mandai Park Development hopes animals native to the area will be able to cross more safely once the bridge is complete.
The 140-metre bridge will also “promote movement of animals” and encourage animals from both sides of the nature reserve to breed with each other.
Additionally, folks from Mandai Park Development hope the increased connectivity will help “restore ecological processes” such as dispersing plant species.
Once complete, the Mandai Wildlife Bridge will feature over 30,000 trees and shrubs, forming a “multi-layered forest habitat” in a bid to encourage animals like squirrels to utilise the link bridge.
The area will turn into a “fully forested area” in 5-10 years’ time.
As of the time of this article, around 98% of the planting process has been completed, reports CNA.
Human access to the bridge will also be “restricted” once the bridge is ready next month.
The introduction of wildlife bridges is certainly an innovative idea for wild animals to coexist with humans in a highly urbanised country like Singapore.
We hope the bridge will prove successful in preventing wild animals from being roadkill in the future.
Featured image adapted from IUCN Red List and The Straits Times.
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