Located along Kerala-Tamil Nadu Border, Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary has a unique landscape with an even more interesting ecosystem. Falling under the rain shadow region, it is home to a diverse mix of flora and fauna, which includes an extensive collection of medicinal plants as well as the Sanctuary’s flagship species like the grizzled giant squirrel ( Ratufa macroura ) and the tufted gray langur ( Semnopithecus priam ). But in recent years, there has been a steady dip in the once healthy population of both terrestrial as well as arboreal species in the region, owing to roadkills from the vehicles speeding on the state highway that runs through the Sanctuary for a stretch of 15 km. Concerned at the surge in roadkills, the Sanctuary management tried different interventions to help animals reside peacefully without being fatally affected by human intrusion. For representation. Credits: Manu Kadakkodam/ Facebook. But before that, the officials of Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI) conducted a roadkill survey in Chinnar to corroborate their claims in 2013. “We had calculated the average number of vehicles passing through the Sanctuary per month and per day for five months, which was 26,816, and 894, respectively. The survey reported over […]
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