Snapchat’s New Wildlife Crossing AR Experience Hopes To Keep Mountain Lions — and Itself — From Going Extinct
Kristin Snyder is dot.LA's 2022/23 Editorial Fellow. She previously interned with Tiger Oak Media and led the arts section for UCLA's Daily Bruin.
By 2025, the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing will span 10 freeway lanes, providing wild animals with safe passage through Agoura Hills.
But until then, a new Snapchat filter will give Angelenos a sneak peek at what will one day be the largest wildlife bridge in the world.
Built by Snap Lens Network partner InCitu, the Wildlife Crossing AR experience, will make a 3D rendering of the bridge along with facts about the construction plans and local wildlife species. Intending to give mountain lions and other animals a path to safely cross the 101 Freeway, the Wildlife Crossing began construction in September.
First proposed in 2015 by the National Wildlife Federation, Wallis Annenberg and the Annenberg Foundation donated $25 million to help kickstart construction. The $90 million project seeks to protect California’s mountain lions—at least four have been killed along the 101 this year. Not to mention, California’s freeway system is also a threat to the species’ genetic diversity and could lead to their extinction. The crossing, set to cause between 38 and 40 freeway closures, will feature an expansive nursery meant to attract local animals.
In the meantime, the lens will provide information about the project’s structural design choices and the importance of wildlife genetic diversity. Furthermore, the lens will reveal how the crossing is built to protect wildlife—complete with 3D models of mountain lions, mule deer and desert cottontails.
Snapchat users worldwide can learn about the Los Angeles initiative while local users can see the AR bridge crossing the 101 freeway.
The tech will also highlight P-22, the city’s most famous feline resident. The mountain lion’s exploits crossing the 405 and 101 freeways have inspired songs and murals, with the AR filter being the latest art dedicated to the local celebrity.
Still, this isn’t Snapchat’s first time bringing augmented elements to the streets of Los Angeles. Snapchat partnered with LACMA to create site-specific AR filters, highlighting the history behind local landmarks such as the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. And users can also build their own AR filters to animate their neighborhoods. The La Brea Tar Pits uses Snapchat’s AR lenses to bring long-extinct animals to life.
From local filters to big shopping initiatives, one thing is clear, Snapchat is betting big on AR to engage its daily users and entice brands. In that way, the social media company hopes AR can help keep both P-22 and its user base alive.
- Crypto House on Sale in North Hollwood for $1.2M - dot.LA ›
- Snap Reaches $35M Settlement on Its Use of Biometric Data - dot.LA ›
- TikTok Launches Text-to-Image Generator AI Greenscreen - dot.LA ›
- Snapchat Rolls Out Updates to Its AR Shopping Feature - dot.LA ›
- DressX's Snapchat-like Filters Lets Users Dress in Couture Fashion ›
- Snap Is Now Mandating Employees Return To The Office - dot.LA ›
- Parents Protest Snapchat as Direct Correlation to Suicide - dot.LA ›
Kristin Snyder is dot.LA's 2022/23 Editorial Fellow. She previously interned with Tiger Oak Media and led the arts section for UCLA's Daily Bruin.
Image Source: Waymo
Image Source: Snap
Image Source: Dodgers 
Image Source: ChatGPT