Environmentalist K. Mohan Raj has urged the Government to initiate speed control measures to reduce the death of wild animals on roads, since it being a regular occurrence on the highways in the Western region, especially the stretch from the outskirts of Hasanur village to the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border in Pununjuru. This stretch is mostly flat and over-speeding by vehicles is common.

The forest records reveal that in the last five years sambar deer, wild rabbit, wild boar, bear, and many other animals had been killed on Sathy Road due to speeding by heavy load trucks and rash driving. Even strong animals such as the Indian Gaur had been killed in vehicle accident, reveal forest officials.

According to Mohan Raj National Highway (NH209) passing through Sathyamangalam Wildlife Sanctuary poses a grave threat to wildlife. The extent of the road within the sanctuary is about 28km. The existing speed control measures on this stretch are very sparse and inadequate.

“We activists got together as a team and did a rapid survey of the entire stretch of the road and identified crucial locations where rumble-strips can be made. In total, we identified 20 locations within the 28km stretch of the road that runs through the Sanctuary for the laying of rumble-strips. Effective speed control measures have to be implemented immediately to reduce wildlife death on roads,” Raj added.

This report has been submitted to the Principal Secretary, Environment and Forests Department, Tamil Nadu, and the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden, Tamil Nadu Forest Department, for action.