Bring back Bandipur night traffic ban, save spotted deer': Forest officials

Chamarajanagar: With thousands of spotted deer seen milling around perilously close to National Highway 67 that leads to Ooty via the Bandipur Tiger Reserve late evening, forest officials are afraid they could be knocked down by vehicles before the road closes for traffic at 9 pm every day.

The administrative zone of the reserve sees around 2,000 spotted deer gathering near the highway every night, with some waiting on its edge to cross to the other side. Afraid they could be killed by speeding vehicles while attempting the crossing, reserve officials are now demanding that it revert back to a night traffic ban from 6 pm to 6 am.

Currently, night traffic is banned in Bandipur on NH-67 leading to Ooty and NH-766 leading to Wyanad in Kerala from 9 pm to 6 am every day.. But with the Bandipur reserve officials observing that the spotted deer start to gather in the administrative zone by around 6 pm when the light starts to fade, they believe the old night ban timings may be more effective in ensuring their safety.

Although there are speedbreakers every 500 meters on NH-67, reserve they fear they may not be enough to keep the deer safe as they are known to panic in the face of traffic.

“The spotted deer come together at night may be because they feel there is safety in numbers and also because not many tigers and leopards would hunt them in such close proximity to the administrative zone of the reserve with its quarters for officials and guest houses for visitors," they explain.

A senior park official, however, says that only the Supreme Court can decide if the park can revert back to its 12-hour night traffic ban.