India Needs Safe Highways To Protect Its National Heritage Animal - The Asian Elephant
India Needs Safe Highways To Protect Its National Heritage Animal - The
Asian Elephant
Oishimaya Sen Nag, World Atlas
April 10, 2021
See link
https://www.worldatlas.com/news/india-needs-safe-highways-to-protect-its-national-heritage-animal-the-asian-elephant.html
for photos and graphic.
On January 15, a container truck speeding through the Hosur-Krishnagiri
highway near the Sanamavu forest range in Tamil Nadu, India, hit a
40-year-old male elephant. The elephant was crossing the highway that
passes through a vital elephant corridor. The accident incapacitated the
hind body of the elephant.
The grievously injured elephant was moved to a nearby forest camp for
treatment by a team from Wildlife SOS, one of India's leading NGOs involved
in wildlife rescue and rehabilitation. Unfortunately, the elephant
succumbed to internal injuries. The truck driver had to be hospitalized as
well. He was later booked under various sections of the Wildlife Protection
Act, 1972, for disregarding traffic rules. In a rapidly developing country
like India, such incidents are now not too rare. Wildlife death due to
vehicular collisions is a cause of growing concern in the country.
Elephants Face An Uncertain Future
The elephant is regarded as India's National Heritage Animal. As per the
2017 census, the country housed a population of 27,312 elephants accounting
for about 60% of the world's wild Asian elephant population! From this
striking percentage, it appears that the country has managed to conserve
its elephants quite commendably. However, the demands of development have
led to the wanton destruction and fragmentation of elephant habitats across
the country in recent decades. The future of India's wild elephants is thus
at stake. And the loss of even one elephant is a major setback for elephant
conservation in India.
According to Wildlife SOS: "16 elephants in Tamil Nadu were victims of
tragic accidents from 1999 to 2014. Three were victims of train collisions
and five succumbed to grievous injuries sustained in accidents due to other
reasons. In the last five years, four elephants have been victims of road
accidents. Despite this, it is unfortunate that there are reported
accidents in Tamil Nadu due to overspeeding or lack of adherence to speed
limits."
Similar reports have surfaced from several other states of India as well.
Odisha in eastern India lost 37 elephants to road and train accidents in
the last decade. In August 2019, three elephants died in after being hit by
an iron-ore laden truck in the Keonjhar District of Orissa. Railway
accidents proved lethal to 49 elephants between 2016-18 in India. 37 out of
these 49 deaths occurred in the two states of West Bengal and Assam.
Conservationists are worried that the number of elephant deaths due to road
accidents will only increase in the future because India's road network is
rapidly expanding. The country already has the second largest road network
in the world (5.2 million km) after the United States!
Many of these roads cut through protected areas and wildlife corridors
creating barriers to the safe passage of wildlife. Large mammals like
elephants that need to move long distances to fulfill their needs of food
and mate suffer the most due to the presence of such linear infrastructure
in their habitat.
Mitigation Measures Can Save Lives
There are, however, several ways that can allow development to go
hand-in-hand with wildlife conservation and save lives of both elephants
and humans.
According to Wildlife SOS, elephants are easy to spot as they are the
largest living land mammals. However, inadequate lighting on the highways
prevents drivers from noticing them in the dark. Thus, the installation of
high-powered street lights or floodlights on highways becomes necessary.
Drivers should also adhere to the speed limitations on such highways.
Clear signages must be there to warn them of the presence of wildlife in
the area. Also, systems like speed governors and traffic cameras must be
used to detect over-speeding vehicles. Drivers of such vehicles must be
levied hefty fines by the law enforcement officers. Buffer areas should
also be present on either side of highways to allow elephants to be in the
clear line of vision when speeding vehicles are approaching.
Other methods implemented to safeguard elephants from road accidents can
involve the creation of mitigation structures like designated overpasses
and underpasses for wildlife and banning nighttime traffic through forested
areas.