Maya Sigal first learned about the devastating impact of vehicular traffic on Israel’s wildlife when the pandemic was raging. At the time, she was working in the high-tech sector.

After discovering the scope of the problem, she cofounded Safe Wildlife Crossings, an organization working to protect animals from deadly traffic collisions.

From cats to dogs to mongooses to hyenas, thousands of animals are killed by cars on Israel’s roads every year, and Safe Wildlife Crossings aims to raise public awareness and encourage government action to prevent roadkill.

Last summer, Sigal left her job to focus on the initiative full time as chair of the board.

“It really touched me, especially the gap between what could be done here in Israel and reality,” says Sigal. “There are [potential] solutions, but we are not implementing them here because they’re not the priority of the government.”

Keep reading at israel21c.org.

Safe Wildlife Crossings Consultant Dr. Dror Denneboom is a Technion alumnus. One of the organization’s board members is Technion Assistant Professor Daniel Metcalfe.