KLANG: As it is not easy to keep wildlife away from trunk roads and highways, experts say it is the responsibility of road users to be cautious to prevent roadkills.
Wildlife veterinarian Dr Heni Paramita Intraswari said this was because the roads ran across land and areas that were the animals’ habitat.
“Most of these roads were constructed cutting across their habitat, so it is common for them to walk around their home ground, especially at night,’’ she added.
Dr Heni said it was also common for young wildlife adults that had broken away from their families and packs to wander about looking for new habitats.
“So, they would cross from one side of their habitat to the other side, using the road that runs across and that is when accidents happen,’’ she said.
According to Dr Heni, human encroachment due to development has also shrunk the size of wildlife habitats, resulting in the animals looking for new places to live.
She believes the creation of special passages and wildlife crossings may not prevent the animals from using familiar pathways.
“Wildlife are creatures of habit and would walk instinctively through familiar pathways, so we do not know if they will change their routes,’’ she said.
Malaysia’s Management and Ecology of Malaysian Elephants research project principal investigator Dr Wong Ee Phin said having wildlife crossings may not work in all places.
“It depends on a case-to-case basis as it may work in some places and will be limited in other places,” said Dr Wong.
She said road users’ conduct and behaviour are important to prevent roadkills.
According to Dr Wong, when motorists see wildlife crossing, they should slow down or stop their vehicles and wait without provoking the animals.
“We have seen videos where some wildlife were provoked by passing motorists such as motorcyclists speeding very close to them,” she said.
Concurring with Dr Heni, Dr Wong said wildlife habitats are on both sides of some trunk roads and highways, adding that motorists must acknowledge this to co-exist without causing accidents.
She said one option would be for heavy vehicles to avoid roads that cut through wildlife habitat when travelling at night.
She added that drivers should find alternative routes to their intended destinations.
Lorry driver A. Suresh, 54, who made news in early April when he was attacked and injured by a panther at a trunk road in Negri Sembilan, said he was saddened over the recent death of an elephant calf at the Gerik-Jeli Highway.
Suresh said one of his former employers would monitor lorries through the global positioning system and if the drivers strayed from the stipulated speed limit, an amount would be deducted from their safety allowance.
He believes this is one of the best ways to ensure drivers of heavy vehicles do not speed and cause harm to themselves as well as the environment.
