North Carolina student wins top award for free tool mapping wildlife roadkill hotspots

North Carolina student Aaryan Ghorpade has won a national competition after creating a free online mapping tool designed to reduce wildlife deaths on American roads. Ghorpade took first place in the 16 to 18 age group of the 2024 "A Voice for Animals" contest with his project, "EcoRoute: Mitigating Wildlife-Vehicle Collisions." The annual competition is jointly organised by the Animal Welfare Institute and Humane Education Network.

It recognises young people who use creative ideas and community involvement to solve problems affecting animal welfare. As reported by the Animal Welfare Institute, Ghorpade developed a working early version of a free online roadkill mapping platform.

The tool collects information to identify roads where vehicle collisions with wildlife happen frequently. This information can help transport departments and local authorities decide where safety improvements are most needed.Technology targeting high-collision zonesWildlife and vehicle collisions cause more than one million animal deaths every day in the United States.