Road Kills in Chinnar Road and Aliyar

By
R Arumugam
– 28 April,2012Posted in: Conservation Articles
Diary - Tales from Wild India | Conservation Magazine > Conservation Articles > Road Kills in Chinnar Road and Aliyar

Road Kills between 9 / 6 and Chinnar Check posts and in Aliyar – Attakatti check posts, Anamalai Tiger Reserve, Tamilnadu

Highway that goes through forest bisects the habitat and pose severe problem for wildlife that crosses the road. Very often wild animals get killed by speeding vehicles. So a study was undertaken to look at the problem posed by state highways that go thorough Anamalai Tiger Reserve to suggest mitigation measures to reduce the number of road kills along these roads. The roads selected for the study were road stretch between 9 / 6 – Chinnar road and Aliyar – Attakatti check posts. The main objectives of this study were:

  1. to look at the road kills along 9 / 6 and Chinnar check post road and along Aliyar and Attakatti Check post road
  2. to look at the vehicle traffic during week days and week ends
  3. to look at the vehicle speed in day and night time as well in steep roads and in road stretch that goes through flat terrain
  4. and to suggest mitigation measures to reduce road kills

Methods

Two major highways that goes through Anamalai Tiger Reserve namely 9 / 6 Check post -   Chinnar and Aliyar – Attakatti check post were selected to look at road kills of wild animals. The selected roads were walked during morning and all the animals that were found dead were noted with Global Positioning System (GPS) locations. Vehicles using theses roads during week days and week ends and during day and night time were recorded. Vehicles using these roads would be classified into heavy vehicle such as truck and bus and medium sizzled vehicle like Mazda’s and mini trucks, light motor vehicles such as car and jeeps and autos and two wheelers. Vehicle speed were recorded with the help of speed guns. Vehicle speed were recorded during day and night time and also in different terrains such as steep slopes and flat terrains.

Results

This work was started from December 2010 and it continued until April 2011. Both roads were walked twice during the month of December 2010 and the length of the roads walked were 20.2 in Aliyar – Attakatti road and 24 kilometers 9 / 6 Check post and Chinnar Check post road. 20 (twenty) kills were found along 9 / 6 check post and Chinnar road and 75 (seventy five) kills were found along the Aliyar – Attakatti Check post road. The kills includes amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. Invertebrates such as insects and crabs were also found along both roads. Several shield tail snakes were found dead during the first trip just after rains and it less number of shield tails were found dead during the second trip. Sheild tail snakes were found dead only in Aliyar – Attakatti check post road. The study roads were digitized using MapInfo Professional Version 10. The roads were digitized from 1: 50, 000 scale Survey of India Toposheets. Fifty meter contours were generated using Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission data (SRTM). Road kill locations were superimposed on the roads to look at whether there is any particular stretch has got more hills and also look at the number of kill along steep roads and roads running through flat terrain. More kills were found gentle undulating terrain and in road stretches in flat terrain. Twelve kill were noticed between Punganodai and 9 / 6 check post and fourteen kill were found between Aliyar and Attakatti check post road between contour canal junction and Aliyar check post. More number of kills were noticed between contour canal during first visit between contour canal junction and Attakatti check post this because of large number shield tails movement after rain in this stretch after rain.

Animal kills found in 9 / 6 and Chinnar Check post

SNo

Species
1 White headed babbler
2 Rat
3 Butterfly
4 Common Indian toad
5 Cat Snake
6 vine snake
7 Porcupine
8 Centipede



Animal kills found in Aliyar and Attakatti check post

SNo

Species
1 Shield tail snake
2 Rat
3 Common toad
4 Cat Snake
56 Millipedecentipede
7 Shink
89 Calottes calottesCalottes versicolor
10 Tiplops snake
11 Salea
12 Green vine Snake
13 Moths and butterfly
14151617 CrabOrnate Flying SnakeChameleonPalm civet

Proportion of different kills found along Aliyar – Attakatti Check posts

SNo

Class

Proportion (N=35)
1 Amphibians 48.6 (17)
2 Reptiles 45.7 (16)
3 Birds —
4 Mammals 5.7 (2)

 

 Proportion of different kills found along 9 / 6 and Chinnar Check posts

SNo

Class

Proportion (N=9)
1 Amphibians 11 (1)
2 Reptiles 55.6 (5)
3 Birds 11 (1)
4 Mammals 22 (2)

 

Vehicle speed in flat terrain Aliyar – Attakatti Road and 9/6 Check post and Chinnar Road during the month of January 2011

SNo

Type of Vehicle

Aliyar – Attakatti Rd

9/6 Check post  and Chinnar Rd
Percentage of Vehicle speed 40 & <40 KMPH Percentage of Vehicle speed 40 & >40 KMPH Percentage of Vehicle speed 40 & <40 KMPH Percentage of Vehicle speed 40 & >40 KMPH

1

 Heavy

15 (10)

85 (57)

45 (18)

55 (22)

2

 Light Vehicle

5 (7)

95 (126)

18 (37)

72 (96)

3

 Medium Sized Vehicle

15 (6)

85 (34)

44 (18)

56 (23)

 

Number of Vehicles using the study roads during week days in Aliyar Attakatti Rd

Time Number of Heavy Vehicle Number of Medium sized Vehicle Number of Light Motor Vehicle Number of Two Wheeler & Autos
0600-0700

3

0

1

2
0700-0800

10

2

2

7
0800-0900

6

3

4

2
0900-1000

8

4

1

9
1000-1100

9

2

1

3
1100-1200

11

2

4

7
1200-1300

13

5

7

9
1300-1400

19

8

0

14
1400-1500

13

3

5

13
1500-1600

13

7

6

13
1600-1700

15

3

3

8
1700-1800

13

3

9

7
Total

133

42

43

94

 

Number of Vehicles using the study roads during week days in Aliyar Attakatti Rd

Time Number of Heavy Vehicle Number of Medium sized Vehicle Number of Light Motor Vehicle Number of Two Wheeler & Autos
0600-0700

3

2

2

1
0700-0800

12

4

9

8
0800-0900

13

3

13

17
0900-1000

14

2

16

19
1000-1100

25

2

16

16
1100-1200

29

10

11

38
1200-1300

33

5

14

18
1300-1400

22

5

9

18
1400-1500

21

6

10

34
1500-1600

38

8

16

25
1600-1700

25

6

11

43
1700-1800

29

5

10

30
Total

261

56

135

266


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