Roads of contention

A tiger narrowly misses being hit by a speeding car. Pic: Bhojaraju

Highways can have significant impacts on wildlife behavior, survival and movement of animals by acting as physical barriers. This is especially true for wide-ranging, ecologically sensitive large mammalian species such as the tiger, wild dog to name a few. One of the worst affected taxa are tree dwelling primates and rodents that are isolated to smaller patches with breakage in tree canopy reducing their forage area and affecting genetic diversity.

Speed limits and sign boards are ignored while driving through protected areas leading to mortality of wildlife. Pic: R.Raghuram

However the most serious and obviously seen impact is wildlife mortality by speeding vehicles. Such unnatural mortalities can have deleterious effects on a population through loss of breeding individuals especially in species that have low reproductive rates such as the lion-tailed macaque. It is observed that several wildlife mortalities occur at night due to dazzling headlights and speeding vehicles that affect response rate of wildlife. Several nocturnal animals such as civet, mouse deer, black-naped hare and reptiles are regular victims of speeding vehicles. Hence it is a common practice, both in India and several other countries, to close highways in key wildlife habitats for vehicular traffic at night time.

A wild dog killed by a speeding vehicle on the Mysore-Manathavadi road in Nagarahole National Park. Pic:Prakash Matad

Vehicular traffic at night times will also facilitate increased use of the area for illegal activities such as timber smuggling, wildlife poaching. Poachers caught in Biligirirangaswamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary confessed to have hunted on the highways of Bandipur Tiger Reserve.

Wildlife mortalities in Bandipur Tiger Reserve due to speeding vehicles are so high that it led to the High Court of Karnataka ordering closures of the highways for night time traffic. The court’s judgment was also based on the fact that there were alternatives available for these highways and would also not affect economic activities. Though the alternative journey could cost a bit more, it’s a price we have to bear for saving the habitat of our national animal.

The Wildlife Protection Act 1972 also mandates that tiger reserves need to be kept inviolate. With only 3.3 per cent of Karnataka’s geographical area under protected area category, it is well within the limits of natural justice to restrict vehicular movement within this important wildlife habitat at night times.

An edited version of this article was published in Deccan Chronicle on 15-11-2011
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/tabloid/bengaluru/several-animal-deaths-are-due-speeding-vehicles-463