Tigers Taking To The Road

Travellers have been asked to remain alert, drive carefully and slow down while passing through the forest stretch.

“In addition to increasing signages along the forest road, we are looking at various options to regulate vehicle speeds. We have also cleared view lines on both sides of the road to allow people to see if animals are stepping on to the road or the shoulders,” said Dr Sunil Hiremath, field director of the tiger reserve.

Amrabad, which had 36 tigers as per the last official count in 2024-25, is now believed to have at least 45. Many of them have territories in forests on both sides of the highway. “There are also several cubs and the final official count will be known after the results of the All-India Tiger
Estimation conducted earlier this year are collated,” a wildlife official said.

The latest sighting occurred two nights ago when a forest patrol team spotted a tiger around 10 p.m. The animal walked along the road for nearly ten minutes. A few days earlier, another tiger was seen sitting by the roadside.

“We stop all vehicular traffic at 9 p.m. at both ends of the forest road. However, for vehicles allowed to pass until that time, it can take a couple of hours to exit the forest area. This means vehicles, sometimes speeding, remain on the road till around 11 p.m.,” Dr Hiremath said.

“Once it gets dark, drivers passing through the two checkpoints on NH 756 — one near Mannanur village and the other at Domalapenta village, about 55 km apart — are advised to drive slowly as animals may cross the road. We are also planning to install speed alert signs, increase vehicle patrols after the gates close, and not allow people to stop anywhere in the forest stretch,” he said.

A large number of wild animals, including tigers, leopards, deer and wild boar, use the road inside the reserve after nightfall while crossing from one side of the forest to the other. While several animals — mostly reptiles, amphibians, monkeys and sometimes deer.