Sushanth S, Praphul G, Ganesh S R, Molur Sanjay, Kumara Honnavalli N, Singh Mewa
Zoo Outreach Organisation, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.
University of Mysore, Mysuru, Karnataka, India.
Sci Rep. 2025 Jul 13;15(1):25333. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-10402-6.
The expansion of linear infrastructures, such as roads, which are integral to human society, poses a serious threat to wildlife, leading to road accidents, which have become major causes of terrestrial and avian wildlife mortality worldwide. This study, conducted from June 2023 to May 2024 in the Nelliyampathy Hills, Western Ghats, Kerala, India aimed to assess terrestrial and avian vertebrate roadkill, and the environmental parameters influencing it. In 22 roadkill surveys, 330 roadkills were recorded, representing 72 species, that included 228 individuals of reptiles (43 species) (66.09%), 70 amphibian individuals (11 species) (20.29%), 23 mammal individuals (10 species) (9.57%), and 9 bird individuals (8 species) (4.06%). The annual roadkill estimate was 5,490 along a 50 km transect, with an overall roadkill rate of 0.3 roadkills/km/year. Environmental factors such as plantations, road pavement, water sources, terrain, and undergrowth were found to significantly influence roadkill occurrences. However, there was negligible spatial and seasonal variation in roadkill hotspots. This communication presents advisory measures to reduce wildlife mortality from vehicle collisions to support ecosystem health and minimize such wildlife mortality.
道路等线性基础设施的扩张是人类社会不可或缺的一部分，但却对野生动物构成了严重威胁，导致道路交通事故频发，而这已成为全球陆地和鸟类野生动物死亡的主要原因。本研究于2023年6月至2024年5月在印度喀拉拉邦西高止山脉的内利亚姆帕蒂山进行，旨在评估陆地和鸟类脊椎动物的路杀情况以及影响路杀的环境参数。在22次路杀调查中，共记录到330起路杀事件，涉及72个物种，其中包括228只爬行动物（43种）（66.09%）、70只两栖动物（11种）（20.29%）、23只哺乳动物（10种）（9.57%）和9只鸟类（8种）（4.06%）。沿50公里样带的年路杀估计数为5490起，总体路杀率为0.3起/公里/年。研究发现，种植园、路面、水源、地形和林下植被等环境因素对路杀事件有显著影响。然而，路杀热点地区的空间和季节变化可忽略不计。本报告提出了减少车辆碰撞导致野生动物死亡的咨询措施，以支持生态系统健康并尽量减少此类野生动物死亡。
