Hit-and-run: Leopard killed on Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway

A oneyearold leopard was killed in a hitandrun accident in the wee hours yesterday near Ghodbunder village on the MumbaiAhmedabad Highway The leopard was the 41st animal to be killed in highways near Sanjay Gandhi National Park SGNP and Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary TWS in the past 20 yearsEarly on Sunday Jogeshwari resident Parag Mayekar and his friends were on their way to Jivdani temple in Virar on their bikes when they saw the animal lying inert on the stretch of MumbaiAhmedabad highway just before Ghodbunder village PicParag MayekarA study conducted under the lsquoMumbaikars for SGNPrsquo initiative of SGNP in 2012 revealed that 40 leopards have died in road accidents along the periphery of SGNP between 19942011A majority of the accidents took place on the stretch between Ghodbunder village and Vasai near TWS Some accidents were reported on the BhandupNITIE Road adjacent to IIT Road and on ThaneGhodbunder Road which is forested on either sideEarly on Sunday Jogeshwari resident Parag Mayekar and his friends were on their way to Jivdani temple in Virar on their bikes Just before Ghodbunder village on the MumbaiAhmedabad Highway Parag saw a leopard lying in the middle of the road Motorists driving by were not stopping their vehiclesldquoAround 515 am I saw that a leopard was lying in the middle of the road We got off our bikes and saw the animal lying unconscious We immediately lifted the animal and moved it to the side of the roadIt was obvious that a speeding vehicle had knocked down the animal while it was trying to cross the road In some time the patrolling vehicle came after which we also informed the SGNP rescue team We took the animal in a rickshaw to the forest beat chowky near Fountain hotelrdquoDr Sanjeev Pinjarkar a veterinary doctor from SGNP said ldquoThe animal is a oneyearold female leopard It was already dead when our rescue team reached the spot near Ghodbunder village The death was caused by severe injury caused by a fastmoving objectrdquoThere has been an average of two leopards deaths every year due to road accidents The numbers shot up in the years 2002 and 2007 with seven and six deaths recorded respectivelyThe data also indicates that accidents are significantly higher between December and May with December being the most dangerous They are less frequent in the monsoon monthsOn the MumbaiAhmedabad highway leopards are most vulnerable on the stretch between Delhi Darbar Inn and Kolli Chowki along with spots around ChenaldquoAccidents appear to be fairly common along the highway at Tungareshwar which has forested patches on either side of the road with a natural ascent on one side of the road and a fairly steep descent on the other endrdquo said a scholar who was part of the studyHe added that several of the accident spots especially around Chena had garbage dumps a probable reason for noticeable leopard activity in the areaOfficialspeakVikas Gupta SGNP director and chief conservator of forest said ldquoWe are going to speak to the National Highway Authority of India NHAI to find solutions We will try to restrict speeding of vehicles in that area where animals cross frequentlyWe will also discuss the possibility of constructing an underpass for wild animals with agencies We have taken note of the points highlighted in the study on leopard deaths on the highwayWe will speak with local civic bodies and ask them to take strict action against dhabas and hotels that dump garbage on the periphery of SGNP and TWSrdquo