Kendal Blust/KJZZ

Cecilia Aguilar checks for cars as researchers prepare to cross the highway on July 28, 2019, during a study of wildlife crossings in Sonora, Mexico.

A mountain lion was hit by a trailer on a highway in northern Sonora’s Sky Islands region. The animal may have survived, but conservation groups say the incident highlights the need for wildlife crossings to protect animals from drivers.

The mountain lion was hit while trying to cross Sonora’s Highway 15 between the cities of Magdalena and Imuris.

Authorities reported that the large cat lay bleeding on the side of the four-lane road for more than an hour but got up and walked into some nearby vegetation before a veterinarian arrived. It’s unclear if it ultimately survived.

The accident occurred in part of the Sky Islands of Arizona and Sonora, where many species are forced to cross busy roads as they move between isolated mountains to find food, water or a mate.

Mirna Manteca with the nonprofit Wildlands Network said it's encouraging that several drivers stopped to call authorities and monitor the cat.

“Thousands of animals are killed by cars on highways in Mexico every day," she said. "In this case, thanks to responsible citizens who reported the incident to authorities, we know what happened. That tells us that public perception has changed from fear of these misunderstood animals to empathy for them.”

However, she called shifting public interest in wild animals a stark contrast with the lack of government action.

"It's a lack of interest, a lack of will," she said.

While driver behavior, such as speed and paying attention to the road, is an important factor, Manteca said, the best way to protect species is to build wildlife crossings in key areas of the highway — something officials have promised but failed to do in Sonora.

There is a gap between what the government legally should be doing and how it is actually building highways, she said, with plans for major projects substituting drainages below highways for real wildlife crossings.

"And no, that's not the same. That's not right and it's a failure on their part," she said. "So there is a serious problem, at least in Sonora, and that's what we're trying to address what authorities."

She added that Wildlands Network has also been working with engineers and others responsible for designing infrastructure to raise awareness about the importance of considering the safety of wildlife in the planning process.