The Paoni Deolapar highway that scrapes by the Pench Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra has pulled the plug on many wild animals ever since it was constructed, with three tigers killed in the last one year on the highway, and one seriously injured on Saturday. Wildlife lovers have blamed the high median barriers on the road for this since they pose a hurdle to the animals crossing the road and hence want the height of the road dividers to be reduced.

Mitigation measures lacking
A tiger was hit two days ago by a speeding vehicle allegedly belonging to a local BJP leader, on the NH-7 near Harnakund village close to the tiger reserve at around 7 pm. While search operations for the big wild cat are still on, a range forest officer trying to capture it, was attacked on Saturday. He was immediately given medical aid and is recovering.