The effectiveness of electrified barriers to keep large mammals out of fenced road corridors

Abstract

For this project the researchers investigated the effectiveness of different types of electrified barriers for varying traffic volume and traffic speed. Some barriers were investigated for carnivores only, whereas others were evaluated for both ungulates and carnivores. Finally, we combined the data from our field studies with those reported in the literature and conducted a meta-analysis to investigate the effectiveness of different types and dimensions of barriers for both ungulates and carnivores. In general, electrified barriers can be a substantial barrier to species with paws, including black bears. However, careful maintenance and monitoring is required for these measures to succeed.