Bandipur (Karnataka): Wild animals trying to cross the road or carcasses of those killed while attempting it, are a common sight for travelers on a 12.5 km stretch within Bandipur National Park in Karnataka, along the Mysore to Ooty state highway. This highway, about 5.5 metres wide, is one of many metalled roads that dissect and fragment the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve of which Bandipur NP is a part. With no specified speed limits, the average speed if traffic here is over 80 km/hr. This poses a grave threat to natural animal movement within the forest and incidents of injury and mortality of wild animals due to road accidents is high. Now, there is cause for more concern and conservationists are worried about a proposed upgradation of this road to a national highway, which would mean widening it to about 7.5 metres.
Already the number of wild animals killed by speeding vehicles along this stretch is alarming, the expansion would increase the danger and disturbance manifold. A study on road kills along this stretch by D Rajkumar, member of IFAW-WTI’s Emergency Relief Network (ERN) and founder, Wildlife Conservation Foundation had revealed that “at least three large animals (of the size of a deer or bigger) are killed monthly”. Tigers, Asian elephants, leopards, wild dogs, deer species, snakes and even birds of prey have been killed in road accidents along this stretch.
Although wary of human presence, wild animals of Bandipur NP cannot avoid this road as they have no choice; it cuts through the natural home range of almost every species found in this habitat. Also, animals are attracted to the road by food offered or dropped by travelers. Predators and scavengers, attracted by road kills of their prey, are also vulnerable to accidents.
“Spotted deer is particularly vulnerable,” says Rajkumar. “They migrate daily in the East-West direction homing in for the night in Bandipur (forest head quarter), where presence of humans offers them protection from predators. At day break they cross the road and return to the wilderness. This daily movement makes them vulnerable to road accidents.
In the face of these threats, Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) has initiated a Rapid Action Project (RAP), proposed by Rajkumar and supported by the forest department, to check speed of vehicles plying through this stretch to minimise wildlife casualties. Funded by the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF), the project envisages enforcement of an acceptable speed limit by placing barricades in critical sections to prevent accidents. Constant monitoring will help ensure adherence to speed limit by passing vehicles.
Rajkumar says, “We have already installed three barricades and eight signage boards along this stretch to check vehicle speed. The placements of these collaterals were based on the data provided by our studies on road kills collected since 2004. Broadly, straight stretches, animal crossings and areas with high road kill frequency were targeted for these speed check measures.”
A lifeline to Ooty’s tourism industry, this road has traffic flow even at night, when animal activity is high. Tourist vehicles and vegetable carriers pass Bandipur at night. Festival seasons are busier; the number of vehicles and road kills increase correspondingly.
Preparing pamphlets for an awareness campaign targeting drivers, he said, “Vehicles involved in accidents are mainly private cars and empty lorries returning from Ooty. We will soon begin the work of educating drivers at the entry point to the national park in Kekkanahalla. This work will also be extended to Melukamanahalli, point of entry to the national park from Ooty in the south.”
The work on the proposed upgradation of the Mysore-Ooty road has begun in areas external to the protected areas. This is used as a common pressure tactic to obtain the necessary permission from the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF). “The MoEF is yet to endorse this upgradation. We are trying to understand the complexities involved, to see what we can do to prevent it,” Rajkumar said.
The project, although in its initial stages, has already begun to yield results. “The vehicle speed has gone down considerably as people are now becoming aware of the 40 km/hr speed limit. Few vehicle owners or drivers who have flouted this and caused road kills have been prosecuted on the behest of the Deputy Conservator of Forests, Dr R Raju,” said Rajkumar.
Under the circumstances these measures are the first step towards protecting wildlife in this terrain from this daily human invasion.
