While there are a lot of politics behind building a wall between the United States and Mexico, no one has really ever stopped to think about how it could affect the animals in the region, many of which rely on being able to cross between the countries at will in search of food.
Although to humans, there is a clear border between the two countries, animals just see open land and potential prey targets. Being unaware of such "man-made borders," they don't tend to pay any mind to them.
The United States/Mexico wall isn't the only wall in the world that threatens the well-being of animals. There are walls in countries all over the world that have proven to impose negative impacts on animals.
In addition to cutting off potential roaming grounds and food supplies, walls also manage to divide populations into two regions, which means less mating. This, in turn, has the potential to disrupt wildlife reproduction.
For endangered species, this is a problem. The United States/Mexico border is home to several animal species, not limited to jaguars, that are at risk from the construction of such a wall.
This is something top officials really need to sit down and discuss before construction of such a wall is given the green light.
