Road Accident of Reptiles by Heavy Traffic Movement in and around Tropical forest Research Institute Campus, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, Central India

Sanjay Paunikar

doi:10.36808/if/2014/v140i10/53476

Road Accident of Reptiles by Heavy Traffic Movement in and around Tropical forest Research Institute Campus, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, Central India

Authors

Sanjay Paunikar Tropical Forest Research Institute PO. RFRC, Mandla Road, Jabalpur-482021 (Madhya Pradesh)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36808/if/2014/v140i10/53476

Keywords:

Reptiles, Road Kills, Highway Mortality, Biodiversity

Abstract

Reptiles are one of the important members of the animal kingdom and food chain as a predators and prey for the other animals. Population of reptiles fauna is declining due to number of reasons including road kill by heavy traffic movements on the highways. In the present study total 160 road kills of reptiles (8 families and 18 species) were recorded on roads in and around TFRI campus, Jabalpur. This includes skinks (grass and striped skink), lizards (garden and monitor) and snakes (vipers, kraits, cobra, rat and snakes, etc). The maximum road kills were observed in the month of June-July and minimum August-September. The highest road kills were of serpent (snakes) species. Several road kill species of reptiles come under the Wild Life Protection Act and their status is included in different schedules and IUCN categories.

References

Boominathan D. (1999). The impact of highway traffic on the selected fauna of Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, South India. M. Sc.Dissertation submitted to A.V.C College Mayiladuthurai. 49pp.

Chandra K. (2006). Threatened animals of Madhay Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Ind. J. of Trop. Biodiv.,14 (2):97-122.

Das A., Ahmed M.F., Lahkar B.P. and Sharma P. (2007). A preliminary report of reptilian mortality on road due to vehicular movements near Kaziranga National Park, Assam, India. Zoos' Print Journal, 22(7):2742-2744.

Gokula V. (1997). Impact of vehicular traffic on snakes in Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary. Cobra, 27: 26

Kannan P. (2007). Mortality of reptiles due to vehicular traffic in Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, Western Ghats, Tamil Nadu, India. Cobra,1(3):1-3.

Langen T.A., Machniak A., Crowe E.K., Mangan C., Marker D.F., Liddle N. and Roden B. (2007). Methodologies for surveying herpetofauna mortality on rural highways. Journal of Wildlife Management,71:1361â€“1368.

Maehr D.S., Land E.D. and Roelke M.E. (1991).Mortality patterns of panthers in southwest Florida, pp. 201-207. In: Proceeding of Annual Conference of Southeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies 45.

Newmark W.D., Boshe J.I., Sariko H.I. and Makumbule G.K. (1996).Effects of highway on large mammals in Mikumi National Park, Tanzania. African J. of Ecology, 34: 15-31.

Paunikar S. (2011). Road kill of wild animals by highway traffic in and around Jabalpur Forest Division, Madhya Pradesh, India. Paper th nd presented at â€œNational Seminar on Environment and Biodiversity of India on 20 -22 December 2011â€ in New Delhi Abstract. Pp-10.

Paunikar S. (2012). Killing of Indian jackal (Canis aureus indicus Hodgson) by the heavy traffic movements at highways of the tropical forest areas of Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, Central India. Indian Forester (Wild Life Special Issue), 138(10): 971-972.

Rosen P.C. and Lowe C.H. (1994). Highway mortality of snake in the Sonoran Desert of Southern Arizona. Biological Conservation, 68:143-148.

Seshadri K.S., Yadev A. and Gururaja K.V. (2009).Road kills of amphibians in different land use areas from Sharavathi river basin, central Western Ghats India. J. Threat. Taxa, 1(11): 549-552.

Sunder G.K.S. (2004). Mortality of herpetofauna, birds and mammals due to vehicular traffic in Etawah District, Utter Pradesh, India. J. Bom.Nat. Hist. Soc., 101(3):392-398.

Tiple A., Kulkarni N., Paunikar S. and Joshi K.C. (2010). Avian fauna of Tropical Forest Research Institute, Jabalpur central India. Ind. J. of Trop. Biodiv., 18 (2): 133-141.

Tiple A., Paunikar S. and Talmale S.S. (2012). Dragonfly and damselfy (Odonata: Insecta) of Tropical Forest Research Institute, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh (Central India). J. Threat. Taxa, (4): 2529-2533.

Vijayakumar S.P., Vasudevan K. and Ishwar N.M. (2001).Hepetofaunal mortality on the roads in the Annamalai Hills, southern Western Ghats. Hamadryad, 26 (2): 265-272.