Ban on night traffic through Bandipur: Karnataka under pressure

November 15, 2011 By Amit S. Upadhye DC Bengaluru Conservationists can take heart. Karnataka is standing firm on the night ban on traffic inside the Bandipur Tiger Reserve. Its forest department is likely to write to the Centre in response to its suggestion on lifting the ban, that when close to 65% of all animals killed in road accidents inside Bandipur are hit by speeding vehicles at night, it doesn’t make sense to withdraw it. Vehicles taking the NH 67 from Melkamanahahalli to Kekkanahalla and the NH 212 from Maddur to Moolehole were banned from entering the Bandipur Reserve at night early August on the orders of the Karnataka High Court, leading to a collective sigh of relief among wildlife conservationists concerned about the large numbers of animals run over by them in the dark. Their worry is not without reason. A survey conducted between 2004 and 2008 has revealed that 91 mammals, 75 reptiles and 56 birds were killed due to speeding vehicles in this period, almost double the number killed by poachers in the reserve. “As most carnivores are active at night, herbivores too are on the move. Large animal congregations takes place and animals often crisscross the highways in large numbers. One estimate suggests that close to 1,600 animals, including tigers, leopards and elephants cross the roads in Bandipur at night,” says a conservationist from Mysore, D Raj Kumar, who feels the night ban has come as a huge relief to the animals. He doesn’t see why it should be revoked when there are alternative routes the vehicles can take and two passenger buses from Kerala and Karnataka are still allowed to enter Bandipur at night. Wildlife experts find it hard to understand why the forest department does not maintain records of all road kills and takes note of only tiger and elephant deaths on the highways passing through the reserve. “The deaths of reptiles and birds killed by speeding vehicles are not recorded. The department must begin reporting every road- kill to justify the night ban on traffic inside Bandipur,” underlines one expert. Techies worry about their travel times The night traffic ban at Bandipur Tiger Reserve is not just haunting truck companies and commuters, but also a large group of professionals from Kerala who work in Bengaluru. For them it’s a nightmarish experience to wait for daylight to travel and also extends their holiday by another day, just for travelling. “I understand there are alternative routes if you want to travel to Palakad. But what if we want to reach a town in Kerala situated closer to the Karnataka border? We are spending an extra day just travelling and it’s become a major issue ever since the road was closed for wildlife movement during the night,” says A. Sindhu, a researcher working in Bengaluru. According to Santosh Krishnan, a software engineer from Kerala working at a city-based firm, the alternative routes suggested by the forest department of Karnataka and conservationists are much further away. Conservationists in the state, however, said that the Kerala and Karnataka governments must prepare the alternate roads that go around the tiger reserves. “There are number of roads that can be used to avoid traffic within tiger reserves, but the government and local authorities are not maintaining them. This is done deliberately. If the roads are good there is no problem for commuters to travel during the night,” said Mahesh S., a travel agent from Bengaluru. Several animal deaths are due to speeding vehicles Sanjay Gubbi, Wildlife expert and member of the State Board for Wildlife Highways can have a serious impact on wildlife behavior, survival and movement. This is especially true for the tiger, wild dogs and other ecologically sensitive large species. One of the worst affected are tree dwelling primates and rodents that are isolated in smaller patches when there are breaks in the tree canopy, which not only reduces their forage area but also impacts genetic diversity. The most serious impact are the wildlife deaths caused by speeding vehicles. Such unnatural mortalities can have affect an entire population through loss of breeding individuals especially in species that have low reproductive rates such as the lion-tailed macaque. It has been seen that several wildlife deaths take place at night due to dazzling headlights and speeding vehicles. Nocturnal animals such as the civet, mouse deer, black-naped hare and reptiles are regular victims. So it is a common practice, both in India and many other countries, to close the highways to vehicular traffic at night in key wildlife habitats. This is good for another reason too as night traffic in such reserves can also give scope for timber smuggling and wildlife poaching —poachers caught in the Biligirirangaswamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary have confessed to hunting on the highways of Bandipur Tiger Reserve. Considering the number of wildlife deaths in Bandipur Tiger Reserve as a result of speeding vehicles, the Karntaka High Court ordered the closure of the highways running through it at night. The court’s judgment was also based on the fact that there are alternatives routes available for traffic in the area. Although they may cost a bit more to take, it’s a price we have to pay to save the habitats of our animals. Moreover the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 also makes it mandatory for tiger reserves to be protected at all costs. With only 3.3 per cent of Karnataka’s geographical area declared protected, it is well within the limits of natural justice to restrict vehicular movement in an importabt wildlife habitat at night. http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/bengaluru/ban-night-traffic-through-bandipur-karnataka-under-pressure-462