Mortality of Herpetofauna, Birds and Mammals Due To Vehicular Traffic in Etawah District, Uttar Pradesh, India

2004·3.7 MB·

by  K S Gopi Sundar

Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, 101 (3), Sep-Dec 2004 392-398
MORTALITY OF HERPETOFAUNA, BIRDS AND MAMMALS DUE TO VEHICULAR
TRAFFIC IN ETAWAH DISTRICT, UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA
1
K.S. GOPI SUNDAR2
'Accepted February 2003
2Wildlife Institute ofIndia, PB 18, Chandrabani, Dehra Dun 248 001, Uttaranchal, India.
Present Address: Indian Cranes and Wetlands Working Group, C/o International Crane Foundation,
E-11376, Shady Lane Road, Baraboo, WI-53913, USA and C/o Wildlife Protection Society of India,
M-52, Greater Kailash Part-1, New Delhi 110 048, India. Email: [email protected]
Roadkillsofherpetofauna,birdsandmammalswereenumeratedalonga20kmstretchofroadinEtawahdistrict,Uttar
Pradesh, in an agriculturedominated area.Atotal of133 killsof33 speciesofanimalswere recorded overtwoyears.
Amphibians and birds were killed significantly, more during the monsoon, while reptiles and mammals were killed
almost equally across seasons. The species killed the most were the Marbled Toad Bufo stomaticus (amphibia),
FlapshellTurtleLissemyspunctata(reptile), HouseCrowCorvussplendens(bird)anddomesticDogCamsfamiliaris
(mammal). Whenallspeciespresentalongtheroadforthetaxawereconsidered, birdspecieswereleastrepresentedin
roadkills(16%), andhigherproportionsofspecieswerekilled intheothertaxa(25-30%).Amphibiansand birdswere
killed significantly more in the monsoon, while season did notaffect numbers ofkillsfor herpetofaunaormammals.
Mediumsizedbirdsandomnivorebirdspecieswerekilledthemost.Accountingforall birdspeciespresent,numberof
birdsofdifferentsizeskilledwas inproportiontothatpresentalongtheroad. Whenguildswereconsidered,omnivore
specieswerekilled inmuchhigherproportiontotheiravailabilityalongtheroad.Notaxaofconservationconcernwas
killed bytraffic duringthis study. No speciesortaxawaskilledto an extentthat would endangerthe species, though
specific studies on species most vulnerable to vehicular traffic will be useful to determine how to prevent such
mortalities.
Keywords:Frequencyofroadkills,herpetofauna,birds,mammals,Bufostomaticus Lissemyspunctata Corvussplendens
, , ,
Canisfamiliaris
INTRODUCTION withspecialreferencetoeffectofhabitatonpatternsofroadkill
(Vijayakumaretal.2001),andseasononselectfauna(Kumara
Roads have been known to cause ecological effects etal. 2000). Fewstudieshaveexploredcommunitystructure
like fragmentation, habitat loss due to deforestation, affect ofvulnerabletaxaalongroads inanagricultural landscape in
animal movement, cause changes in animal behaviour, and an effort to understand the potential species that may be
cause mortality due to accidents with vehicular traffic (van affected by vehicular traffic (Dhindsa et al. 1988). Most of
derZandtelal. 1980;Fahrige/a/. 1995;Goosem 1997; Forman these studies have concentrated on mammals and
andAlexander 1998;TrombulakandFrisswell2000;Develey herpetofauna, and reports on bird mortality due to vehicular
and Stouffer2001; Serranoeta/. 2002). Vehicleson roadsare traffic are few (Dhindsa etal. 1988, Sharma 1988). None of
thought to have overtaken hunting as the leading direct these studies have information on the proportion ofspecies
human causeofvertebrate mortality (FormanandAlexander inanareaaffectedbyvehiculartraffic. Istudiedsomeaspects
1998), often endangering local populations ofcommon and offaunalmortalitiesduetovehiculartrafficinEtawahdistrict,
threatened species (Clarke et al. 1998; Hodar et al. 2000; Uttar Pradesh, in north central India. The study investigated
HuijserandBergers2000). In 1994, Indiahad3 millionkmof the following questions.
road,ofwhich 50%weresurfaced(Rajvanshietal. 2001). In 1. What species ofherpetofauna, birds and mammals are
Uttar Pradesh alone, atotal length of 1,21,761 km had been mostaffected by vehiculartraffic andwhat proportion
addedin 1998-99(Anon2001). Thedirectorindirectimpactof ofspecies present are represented in roadkills?
these roadson wild faunahas received very littleattention in 2. Isfaunalmortalityduetovehiculartrafficsimilaracross
the country. seasons?
There is general awareness of the prevalence of 3. Are all avian groups present along the road (species,
mortality due to vehiculartraffic offree-ranging vertebrates families,sizes,guilds)affectedequallybyvehiculartraffic?
in India,andreportsofsuchmortalityare increasing(Dhindsa
etal. 1988, Sharma 1988, Gokula 1997, Kumaraetal. 2000, STUDY AREA
Rajvanshietal. 2001,Vijayakumareial.2001).Thesestudies
haveeitherlistedkills(Sharma 1988,Gokula 1997, Rajvanshi The study wascarried outalongthemain road starting
etal.2001),oraddressedconcernstofaunainprotectedareas at Etawah town (26° 48' 51" N, 78° 59' 32" E) and endingat
VERTEBRATE MORTALITY DUE TO VEHICULAR TRAFFIC
Saiphaitown(26°57'51"N,78°57'52"E),onastretchofroad nighttime sampling. Effort was more or less constant over
measuring 20 km. The road was metalled, a two-way traffic months and years. Everyanimal found killed due to vehicles
route with equal width throughout, and was busy since it was identified to the level possible and removed to avoid
wastheonlyconnectingroad between Etawah and Mainpuri repetition. Most kills recorded were fresh with the complete
towns. Most ofthe heavy traffic was at night when buses animal available for identification. Onlytwice, kills ofbirds
plying northwards and trucks carrying cargo used the route. were ascertained from feathers left over by scavengers. To
Daytimetrafficcomprisedprincipallyoftractors,smallerfour- determine the number of species present along the road,
wheelers (cars, jeeps), and two-wheelers (scooters, opportunistic observations were maintained and all animals
motorbikes, mopeds). Speeds ofthe vehicleswere as high as were identified to the species level. Formammals, bats were
1 10 kmph for four-wheelers, while two-wheelers reached not considered. This enumeration is likely to be a minimum
speeds of70 kmph. Three counts ofvehicles, one each in since many nocturnal species could have been missed. For
summer,monsoonandwinter,between0730-0845 hrsin2000 birds, all species were classified into five size classes (very
showedthatan average of56 vehicles ply every houron the small,small,medium,large,verylarge),andgroupedintoeight
roadwithnosignificantdifferenceinnumberofvehiclesacross feeding guilds (aquatic, carnivore, frugivore, granivore,
seasons(x2 =l-52,p>0.09). insectivore,nectarivore, omnivore, and scavenger, asperAli
2
Both sides of the road were bordered almost andRipley 1989),andnotediftheycrossedtheroad. Statistical
continuously with dry scrub and trees, behind which were analyses were restricted to ascertaining iffrequency ofkills
crop fields, groveswith fruittrees or habitation. Majortrees ofindividualtaxaweredifferentacrossseasonsusingx2tests.
along the road were Da/bergia sissoo. Ficus benghalensis, Comparisonsacrosstaxawerenotcarriedoutsincedifferences
Syzygium cumini Mangifera indica and Psidium gujava, in removal rates of different sized animals, differential
, ,
and the predominant shrubs were Prosopisjuliflora and mortalities during day and night, and seasonal and species
Ipomoea aquata with Saccharum sp. grass growing in few differences in densities ofthe various taxa were unknown
places. In addition, six village ponds ofvarying sizes, eight and not controlled for. Bias due to the unaccounted animals
small (<10 ha) grassy marshlands, one alkaline wasteland, which may have been struck by vehicles, but crawled away
nine small towns (<ten houses each) and nine large towns has not been corrected. It is known that speeds ofvehicles,
(>ten houses each) bordered this stretch, and one small river intensity oftraffic, the kind of vehicles, width ofthe road,
and two canals intersected it. Only three village ponds were habitat conditions etc. also affect mortality (Dhindsa et al.
perennial dueto disposal ofsewage intothem, whilethe rest 1988,Goosem 1997,Finderetal. 1999,Clevengeretal.2003);
were full only during and immediately after the monsoon, these biases have also not been investigated or controlled
drying up in January/February. The region was thus suitable for during this study.
foravariety offauna.
Three principal seasons could be differentiated based RESULTS
onrainfallandtemperatureregimesnamely,winter(November-
February),summer/pre-monsoon(March-June)andmonsoon Frequencyofroadkills
(July-October). The main crops beside the stretch of road The road was monitored for226 and 230 days in 2000
were barley, fruits, and paddy during May-November, and and2001 respectively,coveringatotalof9,120km.Atotalof
wheat and vegetables during November-April. In late June 21 amphibians(threespecies,twofamilies,rateofkill:0.0023/
and early July, most fields were fallow until the rains. The km),34reptiles(sixspecies,fourfamilies,rateofkill: 0.0037/
main source of precipitation was the southwest monsoon km),46birds(17species, 12 families,rateofkill: 0.005/km),
with an annual average of 851 mm (1990-2002, District and32mammals(sevenspecies,fourfamilies,0.0035/km)were
Collector’sOffice,personalcommunication), andfog/dewin recorded as roadkills (Table 1). Family Bufonidae was
winter. Temperaturesvariedbetween 1 °C inwinterto>45 °C represented the most in amphibian kills (13/21), with the
insummer. Marbled Toad Bufostomaticus being killed most frequently
(9/21).Amongreptiles,the FlapshellTurtleLissemyspunctata
METHODS
waskilledthemost(10/34)andequal numbersofthefamilies
BoidaeandColubridaewerekilled(9/34each).Amongbirds,
Road killswere recorded fortwoyearsduringJanuary speciesfromfourfamilies,Corvidae, Stumidae,Ardeidaeand
a20w0e0e-kDbeectewmebeenr02600001-.1T0h0e0rhorasdewaacshpsaatmropllliendgodnaeytodrsiixvitnigmeast HRaolulsiedaCe,rowewrCeorkivlulsedspthleenmdoesnts((n6=96%)oafnd46caktitllles,egTraebtlBeub1i).dTchues
20-35 kmph. Presenceofhighwaymenpreventedeveningand ibis(n=5)werekilledmostfrequently.InthefamilySturnidae,
J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 101 (3), Sep-Dec 2004 393
VERTEBRATE MORTALITY DUE TO VEHICULARTRAFFIC
Table 1 Frequencies of roadkills of herpetofauna, birds and mammals in Etawah, Uttar Pradesh, India (January 2000 to December2001)
SI. Taxa No of SI. Taxa No of
No. individuals No individuals
(% of total) (% of total)
Amphibians Birds
1. Family Bufonidae 13 (61.91) 1. Family Picidae 1 (02.17)
1 Bufo melanostictus 4 (19.05) 1. Dinopium benghalense 1 (02.17)
2 B stomaticus 9 (42.86) II. Family Upupidae 1 (02.17)
II. Family Ranidae 8 (28.57) 2. Upupa epops 1 (02 17)
3. Hoplobatrachus tigerinus 3 (14.29) III. Family Coraciidae 3 (06.52)
Unidentified ranids 3 (14 29) 3. Coracais benghalensis 3 (06 52)
III. Unidentified frogs 2 (09.52) IV. Family Centropodidae 3 (06.52)
Total 21 4 Centropus sinensis 3 (06.52)
V. Family Psittacidae 2 (04.35)
Reptiles 5. Psittacula krameri 2 (04.35)
1. Family Boidae 9 (26.47) VI. Family Rallidae 5 (10.90)
1. Eryx johnii 9 (26.47) 6 Amaurornis phoenicurus 5 (10 90)
II. Family Colubridae 9 (26.47) VII. Family Ardeidae 7 (15.20)
2. Xenochrophis piscator 3 (08.82) 7. Bubulcus ibis 5 (10 90)
3. Oligodon sp 1 (02.94) 8 Ardeola grayii 2 (04 35)
4 Ptyas mucosa 5 (14.71) VIII. Family Corvidae 10 (21.80)
III. Family Agamidae 1 (02.94) 9 Corvus splendens 6 (1304)
5. Calotes versicolor 1 (02.94) 10.C. macrorhynchos 4 (08 70)
IV. Family Testudidae 10 (29.41) IX. Family Sturnidae 9 (19.60)
6. Lissemys punctata 10 (2941) 11 Sturnus pagadorum 1 (02.17)
V. Unidentified reptiles 5 (14.71) 12.S. contra 3 (06.52)
Total 34 tZ.Acridotheres tristis 4 (09.70)
14 A. gingianus 1 (02 20)
Mammals X. Family Cisticoliidae 2 (04.35)
1. Family Canidae 23 (71.88) 15 Prinia inornata 2 (04.35)
1 Canis familiaris 19 (59.38) XI. Family Sylvidae 1 (02.17)
2. C aureus 3 (09.38) 16 Turdoides malcolmi 1 (02.17)
3. Vulpes benghalensis 1 (03.13) XII. Family Passeridae 2 (04.35)
II. Family Felidae 5 (15.63) 17.Passer domesticus 2 (04.35)
4 Felis chaus 1 (03 13) Total 26
5. Domesticcat 4 (12.50)
III. Family Herpestidae 3 (09.38)
6 Herpestes javanicus 3 (09 38) Total kills 133
IV. Family Sciuridae 1 (03.13)
7 Funambulus palmarum 1 (03.13)
Total 32
all four species present in the area were represented in kills. beingkilled(16%),theothertaxawereverysimilarintermsof
Amongmammals, the Family Canidaewasrepresented most proportionofspeciesrepresented inroadkills(25-30%,Table
in roadkills (23/32), with Dogs Canisfamiliaris beingkilled 2). Of the species present along the road, all species of
themost(19/32).Amongwild species.JackalsC. aureusand
small Indian Mongoose Herpestesjavanicus were killed the Table 2 Species richness of herpetofauna, birds and mammals
found along the road and as roadkills in Etawah, Uttar Pradesh,
most (3/32 each), and one kill each was recorded ofthe Fox India (January 2000-December 2001)
Vulpesbenghalensis JungleCatFelischausandPalmSquirrel
,
Funambuluspalmarum(Table 1). Taxa Number present Numberseen in
roadkills
Species richness along the road was the lowest for
(proportion of total)
herpetofaunaandthehighestforbirds(Table2).Atthefamily
level,therepresentation inroadkillsvariedwidelyacrosstaxa Families Species Families Species
with most ofthe amphibian families present beingkilled and
Amphibians 3 10 2 (67) 3 (30)
veryfewofthemammal familiespresentbeingrepresented in Reptiles 10 24 4 (40) 6 (25)
roadkills(Table2).Atthespecies level, except forbirdsthat Birds 40 104 12 (30) 17 (164)
hadaverysmal proportion ofspecies presentalongtheroad Mammals 15 24 4 (29) 7 (27)
I
394 J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc.( 101 (3), Sep-Dec 2004
)
VERTEBRATE MORTALITY DUE TO VEHICULAR TRAFFIC
Available BRoadkill Available BRoadkill
I
verysmall small medium large v.large
Fig 1: Effectofbodysizeonvulnerabilityofbirdstotrafficin Fig. 2: Representationofguildsofbirdsalongtheroadandin
Etawah, UttarPradesh, India roadkillsinEtawah, UttarPradesh, India
amphibiansandmammalswereseentocrosstheroadat least (76.5%, Fig. 1). Very small and medium sized birds were
once.Amongthereptiles, 16 ofthe 27 speciesseen alongthe represented in roadkills in nearly the same proportions as
road(66.6%)wereseentocrosstheroadat leastonceandfor thosepresentalongtheroad,while small and very largebirds
birds,89ofthe 104specieslistedalongtheroad(85.6%)were werenotkilled(Fig. 1). Mostkillswereofomnivore(35.3%),
seen to cross the road at least once at a height that would insectivore (23.5%), and aquatic species (17.7%, Fig. 2).
render them vulnerable to be killed by vehicles. All species Omnivore species were killed in far higher proportion than
represented inroadkillswere fromthis list. presentalongthe road, while insectivore and aquatic species
werekilled in lesserproportions(Fig.2). Toexamineeffectof
Effectofseasonoffrequencyofroadkill size and guild on vulnerability ofbirds to vehicular traffic,
There was no significant inter-annual difference in the sample sizes obtained were too small to carry out statistical
rateofkills, ornumberofspecieskilled foranytaxa(x2 test, analyses.
,
p>0.1 inallcases)andkillswerepooledseasonally. Sufficient
data for seasonal analyses each year was available only for DISCUSSION
birds.Amphibianswerekilleddisproportionatelymore inthe
monsoon(x2,=14,p<0.001,Table3)whilereptilesandmammals Herpetofauna
were killed in nearly equal numbers in all seasons (x2 tests, Veryfewkillsofamphibianswereobtainedandmostof
p>0.1). While birds were killed in nearly equal proportions them were during the monsoon. However, these animals are
acrossseasonsin2000(x22=5.33,p>0.05),asignificantlyhigh small and carcasses on roads do not probably last very long
number were killed during the monsoon in 2001 (x2 =16.7, on the road, and the estimates obtained during this study
p<0.001). Forthepooled information,significantlymorebirds must be taken to be aminimum. An increase in mobility and
werekilledduringthemonsoon(x2 =l8.57,p<0.005).Theleast activity ofamphibians due to rains leads to their increased
kills foramphibians, reptiles and mammals were in summer, mortality due to vehicular traffic (Vijayakumar et al. 2001).
whilebirdswerekilledthe leastduringwinter(Table3). Vijayakumar et al. (2001) recorded much higher rates of
roadkillsforbothamphibians(2/km)andreptiles(0.4/km)than
Effectofsizeandguildon frequencyofroadkillsofbirds thisstudy, butthesewereobtained fromaforestedarea.There
All the bird species represented in road-kills were are no studies on roadkills of herpetofauna in the country
resident and diurnal. Most birds killed were ofmedium size from non-forested on non-protected areas to compare the
results ofthe present study. Traffic does not seem to be a
herTpaebtolfeau3n:a,SebaisrodnsaalndeffmeactmmoanlfsreiqnuEetnacwyaho,f rUotatdakrilPlrsaodfesh majorconcernforamphibiansinEtawah. InMudumalai,Gokula
(January 2000-December 2001) (1997) found more kills of snakes during the daytime as
compared to evenings and nights. Vijayakumar et al. (2001
Numberkilled found no influence ofrain on mortality rates ofreptiles, as
Taxa Summer Monsoon Winter was recorded by this study. Kumara et al. (2000), however,
found a significant positive relationship between the rainy
Amphibians 2 15 4
Reptiles 11 7 16 season and number of reptiles killed, particularly uropeltid
Birds 10 29 7 snakes. When uropeltids were considered separately, other
Mammals 8 12 12 snakes showed no relationship between mortality rates and
J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 101 (3), Sep-Dec 2004 395
VERTEBRATE MORTALITY DUETO VEHICULAR TRAFFIC
rainfall, similar to that found in Etawah. Many species of duringthefruitingseasonandresulted inthedeathsofmynas
reptilesthatarestrictlyarboreal such asthegeckosandthose andcrowsforagingonfallen fruits. Crowswerefurtherkilled
restrictedentirelytocanalsandriverssuchasthehard-shelled whentheywerescavengingroadkills.Theonlyrailidrepresented
turtleswere found alongtheroad butwerenotrepresented in inkills,theWhite-breastedWaterhenAmauromisphoenicurus,
roadkilIs. Monitor lizards Varanus benghalensis and wasfound living inroadsideponds. Killscouldhave occurred
V.Jlavescens were seen killed in other roads in the area, but eitherduringforagingevents orduringterritorial fights with
not represented on the study road. conspecifics.Theauthornearlyranoverone individualwhich
Amphibians are clearly more susceptible to mortality was engrossed in an aggressive interaction with anotherbird
byvehiculartrafficduringtherainsdueto increasedactivity, in the middle ofthe road, and when the motorbike was near
most likelyrelatedtobreeding. However,mostreptileskilled them, broke away quite unpredictably and ran towards the
in Etawah were inthe winter. The dark surfaces ofthe roads motorbike. Several passerines were also seen to engage in
usually retained heat much later than the soil possibly territorial disputes, an activity that would make them more
attracting reptiles. Kills of B stomaticus E. johnii and vulnerable to approaching traffic. The Greater Coucal
,
L. punctata were very high and specific studies on these Centropussinensis was seen to be a nest predator and often
species may be worthwhile to ascertain exact causes and carried away eggs and nestlings from nests alongside the
reduce or even prevent such high mortalities. road. One kill each was recorded in May, September and
November ofthis species. Many species ofbirds were seen
Birds nesting along the road during these months.
This study suggests that mortality due to vehicular The Lesser Golden-backed Woodpecker Dinopium
traffic affects only a small proportion ofspecies in an area, benghalense and Rose-ringed Parakeet Psittacula krameri
medium-sized birds are affected the most, omnivore and usually foragedontreetrunksand inthecanopyrespectively
insectivore species are more vulnerable than species and were correspondingly under represented in road kills.
belonging to other guilds, and most kills occur during the The sole D. benghalense killed during the study was found
monsoon. It appears that vehicular traffic causes minimal nearthe entrance ofatermite colony from which alates were
mortalitiesofbirds,and isunlikelytobeamatterforconcern. emerging. The bird had flown down to feed on the alates
Numbersofbirdsofeachspeciesweremuch lowerinroadkilIs fleeingthecolony, aswasconfirmed byitsstomachcontents.
compared to actual numbers alongthe road. Majority ofthe P kramerideathsoccurredwhen flockswerechasedofffrom
species present crossed the road implying that the road is adjoining fieldswhile they were depredatingcrops. The two
notperceivedasabarrierbymostbirdspeciesandthatalmost parakeets found killed had large quantities ofwheat in their
all the birds are vulnerable to vehicular traffic. The rate of stomachs. Occasionally, individuals were seen foraging on
roadkills of birds recorded in this study, however, was far fallen fruit ofF. benghalensis and P gujcn>a on the road and
lesserthanthatrecordedforasimilarhabitattype inRajasthan, this may lead to deaths occasionally. Ardeids take a longer
about200 kmwestofthe studysite. Sharma(1988) recorded timeto attain heightwhen theytake offas comparedto other
atotalof219killsof26speciesof19familiesinoneyearina bird species. After taking off from marshlands and ponds
stretchoffivekmofroad. HefoundthattheEurasianCollared adjoiningtheroad,theytendedtofly lowovertheroadmaking
DoveStreptopeliadecaoctawaskilledthemost in Rajasthan them susceptible to speeding traffic. Though White-necked
butwasneverrepresentedinroadkillsinEtawah. InRajasthan, Storks Ciconia episcopus and Sarus Crane Grits antigone
aquaticbirdswerekilledthe least,butthegloballythreatened nested along the road on trees and wetlands respectively,
sarus crane Grits antigonewas represented in kills. The rate these large waterbirds were not killed by traffic during the
of roadkills was 0.12 kills/km (calculated from the study study period. Food on roads and specific behaviour (e.g.
assuming that sampling was carried out for 365 days), 24 territoriality) atcertaintimesseem to be responsible forkills
times higherthan that recorded duringthis study. There was, ofbirds on roads. Additional species that were found killed
however, no information on the species composition ofthe due to traffic on other roads near the study road but not
birdcommunityalongtheroad. Thebirdcommunitystructure represented in this studywerethe White-throated Kingfisher
islikelytobesimilarwithEtawah,and itisinterestingthatdifferent Halcyonsmyrnensis, Streptopeliadecaocto, Grits antigone
,
results were recorded. Vegetation structure, traffic intensity, and and Red-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus cafer.
other factors such as fallen grain on the road etc. may have
contributedtothedifferences inpatternsofroadkills. Mammals
InEtawah, presenceoffewfruitingtreesalongtheroad Ofthe seven species ofmammals found killed in the
caused largeamountsofripe fruitstobeavailableontheroad study, none were of conservation concern. One species.
396 1 Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 101 (3), Sep Dec 2004
1
VERTEBRATE MORTALITY DUE TOVEHICULAR TRAFFIC
F.palmarum,wasarborealandtherestweregrounddwelling. studies away from protected and forested areas are required
BoththeFox andtheJungleCatwerekilledduringthenight. to ascertain the actual magnitude ofroadkills in relation to
The other nocturnal animals that were seen along the road populations of particular species. Studies elsewhere have
weretheStriped HyaenaHyaenahyaena,CommonPalmCivet documented that roads perform as physical barriers to
Paradoxus hermophroditus and Indian Pangolin Manis movements of animals often changing their behaviour
,
crassicaudatabutwere notkilled bytraffic duringthe study. (Daveley and Stouffer 2001), and that animal densities are
These animals were sighted in the early morning. One Pale affected bythe presenceofroads(Fahrigetal. 1995, van der
HedgehogParaechinusmicropuswas foundkilled bytraffic Zandeetal. 1980). Theoverall disturbanceeffectofroadson
after the completion of the study. Previous accounts of wildlifewouldthereforebeunderrepresentedbyroadkillsand
roadkills on mammals in India have been restricted to animals are possibly affected much more by other effects of
protected and forested areas and have documented deaths roads such as habitat fragmentation, stress due to noise of
ofmanyspeciesofconservationconcern(Kumaraetal.2000, trafficetc.(vanderZandeetal. 1980,Goosem 1997,Formanand
Rajvanshietal.2001). Kumaraetal.(2000)foundnoinfluence Alexander 1998). Consideringthatthe GovernmentofIndia is
of either habitat type or season on rates of mortality of undertakingseveral large-scaleexpansionsoftheroadnetwork
mammals in a protected area, quite similar to the patterns in Uttar Pradesh and in the rest ofthe country, many more
observed in Etawah. Mammals had relatively low mortality studies are required before we can hope to better understand
rates in summer. The region along the road was particularly the impactofroadson wildlife inthe Indiancountryside.
dry in summermonths and mammals may have moved away
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
atthistime. Most ofthe deaths (6/8) observed in this season
wereofdomesticanimals(dogs,n=4,cats,n=2)lendingsome
credence to this surmise. This study was conducted while carrying out field
studies underthe Project“Impact ofland use changes on the
Implicationsofthestudy ecology and habiat ofthe Sarus Crane Grus antigone in the
Thisstudysuggeststhatmortalityratesduetovehicular Indo-gangetic flood plains” ofthe Wildlife Institute ofIndia
traffic isquite lowforallthetaxastudied,andthatpopulations (WII)and1thanktheDirectorandB.C.Choudhuryforfacilities
ofmostspeciesmaynotbesignificantlyaffectedbyroadkills and infrastructure. I was supported by Research Fellowships
duetotraffic. Nospecies ofconservation concern was killed awarded by WII. Field assistance was rendered by D. Singh
by traffic during this study. The results ofthis study are in andA.Verma. SettingupofafieldstationatEtawahwasmade
contrastwiththoseobtainedhornotherregions inthecountry. possibleduetothehospitalityofR.Chauhanandfamily. Ithank
Roads in agricultural areas do not seem to be causing large- B. Priya, Sushma and K. Vasudevan for providing useful
scale mortalities ofvertebrate fauna. However, many more referencesandN.M. Ishwarforcommentingonapreviousdraft.
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