Conservationists raise concern over rising roadkill in the Nilgiris

Wider roads cutting done wood patches and accrued postulation are starring to a emergence successful roadkill successful areas bordering Udhagamandalam town.

According to conservationists, the stretches wherever roadkill has go a large occupation are on the Udhagamandalam-Kotagiri roadworthy and the Ooty-Gudalur road, with the agelong adjacent Golf Links roadworthy witnessing a precocious fig of chaotic carnal deaths implicit the past fewer years.

“With the National Highway connecting Ooty and Gudalur – particularly the agelong linking the Government Medical College and Hospital successful Udhagamandalam – having been fixed with speedbreakers, astir dense vehicles similar to usage Golf Links road, which is heavy utilized by wildlife, including leopards, leopard cats, jungle cats, deer, Asiatic chaotic dogs, and different tiny animals. Over the past fewer years, galore animals person been killed portion crossing the stretch,” said N. Sadiq Ali, laminitis of the Wildlife and Nature Conservation Trust.

Besides the Golf Links Road, the roadworthy starring to Doddabetta from Udhagamandalam has besides witnessed a precocious fig of carnal casualties.

In a caller survey titled ‘The Cost of Crossing: An archetypal effort to uncover wildlife vehicular mortality successful Doddabetta, Nilgiris,’ researchers, portion undertaking roadworthy transect surveys implicit a five-month play betwixt February and June successful 2025, documented roadkill involving 81 idiosyncratic animals representing 19 antithetic species.

While a bulk of them progressive Indian toads (20) and the Horsfield’s spiny lizard (40) – an endemic taxon – endangered taxon specified arsenic the adaptable ghat frog and the Nilgiri laughinghthrush were besides recovered to person been victims of roadworthy accidents.

N. Moinudheen, 1 of the authors of the study, said that consciousness instauration among roadworthy users utilizing these stretches was of paramount importance. “For instance, wildlife enthusiasts would astir apt beryllium the lone ones who cognize that taxon specified arsenic the Horsfield’s spiny lizard are recovered on the Doddabetta roadworthy successful ample numbers, oregon that the country is location to a wide array of endemic wildlife species. The portion is besides location to a ample fig of Nilgiri martens that are often seen. The Forest department, successful relation with highways officials, could look into creating consciousness among roadworthy users astir the request to adhere to velocity limits on these stretches to forestall roadkill,” said Mr. Moinudheen.