Chamarajanagar: Wild animals continue to be killed in the D B Kuppe forest range of the Nagarhole National Park as vehicles speed through it. Drivers, who need to go at 30 kmph inside the park for the safety of the animals, continue to drive at high speed, knocking them down, says a senior forest official .
On Monday a fawn was killed by a speeding vehicle in the park, adding to the growing number of deer mowed down by cars on the Mysuru-Mananathavady road, which cuts through the DB Kuppe forest range. Only in February this year another fawn was killed by a speeding vehicle in the same range. Given the callousness of the drivers, a stag was run over on the same road in March last year and an adult deer too was killed by a vehicle in the range in August last year. The road from Veeranahosahalli to Kutta via Nagarhole has also reported several road kills with leopards, a fox and a civet cat being among the wildlife killed from 2014 to 2016. A couple of months ago a leopard was knocked down by a speeding vehicle in the park and it was left to the passersby to alert the forest staff about it.
The accidents continue although night traffic is banned in Nagarhole ranges from 6 pm to 6 am. No vehicles can use the road leading to Mananathavady in Kerala from Mysuru or the one connecting Hunsur to Kutta during this time inside the park.
Ask a forest ranger about the kills and he explains that although there are speed-breakers on the Mananathavady road, the traffic is so heavy that vehicles end up hitting animals at times in the park even during the day. “Signboards have been installed to warn drivers about wild animals crossing the road,” he adds.
