After tiger cub’s death, environmentalists call for speed restrictions on Kotagiri road in the Nilgiris

Activists allege that lack of patrols curtailing speeding drivers, steep embankments preventing wildlife crossing and lack of speed breakers is leading to more frequent collisions between wildlife and vehicles
| Photo Credit: Rohan Premkumar

Environmentalists are urging the State Highways to work with the Tamil Nadu forest department in formulating road design that will minimise collisions between vehicles and wildlife along the Kotagiri to Mettupalayam Road.

The calls have gained impetus after a tiger cub was fatally run over by a speeding vehicle, along the stretch recently. The cub was crossing the road with its mother late Thursday (October 10, 2024) night when the accident occurred.

A. Bhoopathy, an environmentalist from Kotagiri Wildlife Society said the death of the tiger cub is one among many animals that killed along the stretch every week. “We have noticed that in the past, that there have been a number of civet cats as well as bonnet macaques that were killed by speeding vehicles, especially at night,” said Mr. Bhoopathy.

He said VIP traffic was high along the route, and people often exceeded speed limits. “The police as well as the forest department do very little to curtail the speed of vehicles along the stretch,” claimed Mr. Bhoopathy, adding that road expansion and improvement work has also rendered many sections impassable for wildlife. “As the embankments are very steep along certain sections, it is difficult for wildlife to cross from one side of the road to the other. This highlights poor infrastructure design, with the impact of expanded roads and steep embankments not being taken into account by the highways department,” he said.

When contacted, officials from the Nilgiris forest division said they are yet to identify any suspects or the vehicle involved in the collision with the tiger. “We are analysing CCTV footage from the area, and have also installed camera traps along the stretch to monitor the movement of other wildlife,” said an official from the Kotagiri forest range.

In response to activists’ demands for more speed breakers along the stretch, officials said that only certain sections of the routes were adjoining a forest, while the other areas cut through tea estates and agricultural areas. “That being said, we are looking into measures that can be taken to minimize collisions between vehicles and wildlife along the route,” added the official.