In late January, John Davis, a conservationist and explorer, began a 5,000 mile journey from Hermosillo, Mexico to Fernie, Canada. He is hiking, cycling and paddling this route to document the lives of wild animals and confirm the need for wildlife corridors in the west. Wildlife corridors are protected areas that link isolated habitats and allow animals to travel long distances, primarily for the purposes of feeding and breeding. He has already completed a similar project for the eastern side of the US.
Last week Davis arrived at the border between the US and Mexico, where he was met at a walled wildlife crossing near Naco, Arizona by wildlife supporters from both countries who carried an art project celebrating the endangered jaguar and other animals. A traditional Yaqui tribal blessing was held. Some supporters wore jaguar masks and some attempted to scale the border wall to show sympathy and solidarity with the desert creatures. As he continues his trek into the western United States, Davis hopes that people will take notice of the hardship the 16 foot high steel fence creates for animals who are trying to follow their traditional pathways to food and water. In some areas, animals are dying within sight of water while trying to find a place to cross to the river.
Public Domain Image by US Customs and Border Protection
Want to read more about John Davis’s journey and the loss of animal and human life on the border?
TrekWest… an Epic Journey to Save Our Wild West is About to Begin (Wildlands Network)
Wildlife Supporters Gather at Border Crossing (The Sierra Vista Herald)
Border fence putting Arizona Pronghorns in peril (Arizona Central)
Fence in the Sky: Border Wall Cuts Through Native Land (The Native Press.com)
The Border Effect (The American Prospect)