High-speed rail connecting SoCal and Vegas could restrict where rams roam

In the Mojave Desert, bighorn sheep roam freely looking for food. But recently, because of drought and rising temperatures, sustenance has been harder to find. Many of the sheep are emaciated and gaunt. A proposed high-speed electric rail line that would connect Southern California and Las Vegas could threaten their access to food even more.

As LA Times reporter Louis Sahagun writes, the proposed rail project calls for the construction of a six-foot-high concrete barrier to keep vehicles on Interstate 15 from careening into trains. The barrier, however, would prevent animals from making an already perilous crossing of the freeway.