Banff National Park in Canada has been a leader in installing both wildlife over and underpasses to help wildlife traverse the Trans Canada Highway that bisects the Park.............And yesterday, we get this great picture of a Lynx using one of the overpasses,,,,,,,"hi-stepping it with grandeur from one side of the highway to the other safely and soundly!..........Time for these type of "culvert/corridors" to be installed everywhere our roads wind through, not just in our Parks

The missing lynx: Rare photo of cool cat crossing highway overpass
By Daily Mail Reporter

The Canadian lynx – a large cat native to the wilds of Canada – is generally elusive, and shies away from using highway-wildlife overpasses.

But one lynx bucked the trend, and the extraordinary event was captured on camera.
Using automatic motion-sensitive cameras, researchers in Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada, managed to capture the majestic-looking cat mid-commute.
The Canadian lynx was captured on March 28 as it crossed over the Trans-Canada Highway near Lake Louise.

Call of the wild: Researchers are thrilled over the unique image of a Canadian lynx crossing an overpass in Banff National Park

Born to roam: Lynx are hyper-intelligent and not often seen roaming the wilds

Overpasses such as these are meant to prevent wildlife fatalities as the creatures safely move from one part of the park to the next, out of the way of highway traffic.
Spotting a Canadian lynx is rare, in part, because it is one of the less-populous animals in the park, and also because they prefer higher, wooded terrain.

 Lynx are also hyper-intelligent, meaning that they most likely know to stay away from those trying to study it.

According to the Edmonton Sun, researchers hope that these overpasses will encourage animals like the lynx and wolverines to cross passageways that were once too dangerous.
In the last 15 years, around six lynx and 11 wolverines have been spotted using the overpasses.

Cool cat: The Canadian lynx is usually found in the western side of the park and is notoriously secretive (file photo)

Stomping ground: The lynx was spotted near Lake Louise in Banff National Park

The crossings seem to be more popular with herbivores – more than 50,000 deer have been counted using it.
Another hope for these bridges is to help the lynx population at large – migrations prevent inbreeding and the spread of certain diseases.

The project began in 1996, and has also served as a way to track animals’ migration throughout the expansive park.
Banff National Park, established in 1885, is Canada’s oldest, and is located in the Rocky Mountains.

According to records, the park has nearly 60 species of animal inside it, including cougar, weasels, wolves, as well as grizzlies and black bears.
Several species of deer also roam the park, as well as smaller creatures like beavers, chipmunks, and porcupines.