SARISKA, June 9: On the eve of the World Environment Day last week, when many officials and Non-Governmental Organisations were busy preparing sanctimonious speeches for the occasion, a tigress was run over by a truck in the Sariska Project Tiger reserve, the fourth big cat to be killed here in the past one year.However, it was the first one to die in a road accident. The death comes at a time when there are only 25 tigers left in the reserve, according to the last census, said field director Tejvir Singh. Results of the recent census were not out yet, he added.It is ironic that the incident happened three days after Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhairon Singh Shekhawat visited the area and discussed the issue of road realignment with the reserve officials and chief wildlife warden R C Soni. Road realignment would minimise the chances of such accidents and Shekhawat is said to have agreed to the proposal.Tigers are known for agility and alertness, and yet the tigress was run over like a street dog by a truck. Singh said it was probably chasing a prey at night across the highway when it was knocked down by the truck.Its jaw was broken, so was the skull. Forest guards said they saw the tigress die a painful death outside the Sariska Palace Hotel, where a crowd had gathered.``This is not surprising,'' said Valmik Thapar, member of several national and international committees and vice-chairman of the Cats Specialist Group in Asia. ``Recently, a lion was run over by a jeep in the Gir National Park in Gujarat.''Headlights from vehicles are blinding and the animal has to make a split-second decision whether to cross the road or not after its prey. It has now become a matter of life and death for animals, said Thapar.Thousands of animals die every year in similar accidents on highways passing through wildlife areas.``We need an immediate reassessment of all roads and highways running through protected areas, so that animals can be saved from being run over every year,'' Thapar noted. But the government is considering a highway through another tiger territory; this time in the Sri Sailam Tiger reserve in Andhra Pradesh.In Sariska, the problems are aggravated by the fact that people stop by the highway to feed monkeys and other animals, noted Singh. This not only causes a traffic hazard but also attracts carnivores animals, leading to a greater possibility of their being run over, the field director observed.
