Publication: NPR 

UCLA Expert: Audra Huffmeyer: Postdoctoral Scholar, UCLA Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 

Synopsis: A new NPR interview with Huffmeyer — and colleague Seth Riley of the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability — discusses new funding from the infrastructure law which will lead to the creation of more wildlife crossings. Huffmeyer and Riley discuss their research on Los Angeles mountain lion populations. Currently cut off from other populations due to busy roads, wildlife crossings will help to address the isolation and inbreeding which puts these animals at risk of local extinction. 

UCLA News: Huffmeyer shares the extent of inbreeding within the mountain lion populations they studied. “Over the course of one year, our combined efforts identified nine individuals with reproductive abnormalities or physical abnormalities.” 

Read more at NPR.