Wild animals being killed on roads

Telangana may not see the end of wild animals being killed on its roads any time soon. The issue of wildlife roadkills has once again come to the fore with the death of a young leopard on National Highway 44 in Nizamabad district’s Indalwai mandal on Thursday night.

More than 200 roads spanning hundreds of kilometres pass through the forest areas of Telangana, including its wildlife sanctuaries, two tiger reserves and many small and large patches of reserve forest. Incidentally, while the State Forest Department has some control over regulating speed and imposing traffic restrictions in wildlife sanctuaries and tiger reserves, it has little say when it comes to the rest of the road network in the State.

The biggest danger to wild animals crossing roads outside of protected areas is the speed of vehicles. At night, this danger is multiplied several times because of the intensity of vehicle headlamps that blind the animals. “Most vehicles are driven with high beams on at night. When an animal, trying to cross the road, is hit in its eyes with such bright light, it virtually goes into a freeze,” Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Munindra said.

“We regulate speed, and have speed breakers and restrictions in wildlife sanctuaries. If such kills continue on national highways and other roads, we will have to discuss the steps that can be taken with the Transport Department,” he told Telangana Today.The Wildlife Institute of India, which sits on the committee that gives permissions to new projects, whether it is construction of irrigation canals or roads, now mandates construction of ‘wildlife bridges’ as has been the case with several permissions recently given to the State. But, constructing similar structures on existing roads that pass through forests is expected to pose a tough challenge.

“Some of the animals may be looking for water and moving out of forest areas because of the summer heat. We have taken up on a mission mode constructing one water hole for every 4 sq km of forest. We have also been supplementing herbivores in areas where they are needed to ensure the big cats stay in the forests,” Munindra said.

According to Wildlife Conservation Trust (WCT) based in Bangalore, a whopping 99 per cent of wildlife killed on roads by passing vehicles is never recorded in the country. It is only large animals such as tigers, leopards or elephants that make most news when they die after being hit by vehicles on roads or railway tracks. The WCT says “thousands of rare endangered species of birds, amphibians, small mammals and reptile” mortalities on roads go unrecorded.