Fatal crossings: tigers in 26 reserves under threat
6th Jan., 2018
Cats die in accidents on highways without safe passages
On
New Year’s eve, a fast-moving vehicle on Maharashtra’s National Highway
6 killed Bajirao, one of Bor Tiger Reserve’s charismatic, dominant male
tigers.
The same day, a team of scientists published the
findings from their latest research: roads with high traffic are
sounding the death knell for the tiger in this part of the country.
Unplanned expansion of national highways without mitigation measures
(such as underpasses created for wildlife) could greatly increase the
probability of tiger extinction in Central India’s protected areas,
home to one of the largest tiger populations. But new and expanded
roads continue to slice through most of India’s protected areas.
Second largest
According
to the National Highways Authority of India, the country’s road
network, at approximately 33 lakh km, is the second largest in the
world. Many of these roads — including national and State highways —
cut through at least 26 tiger reserves, says a draft guidance document
of the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), framed to reduce the impact
of roads and railway lines on wildlife.
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