Recently, a 47-year-old man was injured when his bike collided with a spotted deer at Hasanur Forest Range in Tamil Nadu. Environmentalist H. Byju who was at Hasanur captured the image on his camera. “The spotted deer was killed on the spot. But, the news was not highlighted in the public domain and it went unnoticed,” says R. Mohammed Saleem, founder of Environment Conservation Group (ECG).
Byju posted the image on Provide Animals safe Transit on Highways (PATH), an online forum on Facebook started by ECG. “We don’t have any data on road kills. Anyone can upload images and record information about road kills on PATH. There have been postings about road kills of Civet cat, Black-naped hare, Russell’s viper, spotted deer, Sand Boa, squirrel and mongoose from Bandipur, Mudumalai, Chinnar near Pollachi, Kotagiri and Anaikatti. From the giant elephants to the small reptiles, snakes, frogs…no animal is spared on the highway. We don’t care about the smaller animals but ecologically they are significant,” he says.
Recently, the ECG members were camping at Anaimalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) near Pollachi to celebrate International Day on awareness of vultures. Over a rainy afternoon at ATR, they decided that they needed to do more to stop road kills, and to go on an all-India road trip covering all biological hotspots to spread awareness on this issue. “Starting with the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve (NBR) in the Western Ghats, we plan to cover the Indo-Myanmar region, and the Eastern-Himalayan region and several other wildlife sanctuaries and National Parks. During the journey, we will talk in schools and colleges, and also meet eminent wildlife personalities and conservationists like Bittu Sahgal of Sanctuary Asia ,” says Saleem. He will be accompanied by V. Saanthakumar, H. Byju, P. Velmurgan, and C.V. Prasath.
From February 10, the team will cover 20,000 km covering Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park & Biosphere Reserve, Coringa NP, Simlipal NP, Sundarban NP & Biosphere reserve, Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary, Kaziranga NP, Norkek NP & Biosphere reserve, Hemis High Altitude National Park,Jim Corbett NP and more across 20 states in 40 days. They will also place signboards at vulnerable areas where animals cross. “We have kept signboards from Mudumalai to Bandipur warning tourists about animal crossings. People keep zipping through the highways and animal corridors on superfast cars. This should change. We are not against development, but steps have to be taken to mitigate road kills,” says Saleem.
He mentions the canopy bridges built by Nature Conservation Foundation in Valparai as a good example. “The canopy bridges that connect tree tops allow for safe passage of arboreal animals such as Lion-Tailed Macaque (LTM). This helps to bring down the road kills of LTMs significantly. WWF has taken preventive steps at Mudumalai. We will study and share such examples during our visit,” he explains.
Saleem says over-bridges and underpasses at animal corridors will be a big help. “Most Western countries have adopted this method, as this doesn’t affect the speed of vehicles and also ensures a safe passage for animals. We have one of the largest road networks; we have to take precautions to save wildlife,” says Saleem.
The trip is sponsored by HP Indigo, WULF, Sreevatsa and supported by Sanctuary Asia and NDTV
To know more, visit: https://www.facebook.com/ ECGPATH
What can be done
Speed breakers and signboards at animal corridors
Stop feeding animals on a highway
Do not throw food packets on road. When animals come out looking for food, they become casualties
