Most animals that die on NCR roads amphibians, says DU college study

New Delhi: A

majority

of the animals

dying

on

Delhi-NCR roads

are

amphibians

such as toads, a

study

by

Sri Venkateswara College

of Delhi University has found.

According to the study, monsoons are the breeding time for many animals. The

animals

generally move for foraging and to look for breeding sites and mates. “But unfortunately, many animals become roadkill while migrating (mostly in urban setup). Unlike larger animals like leopards, etc, death of such animals often goes unnoticed,” said Robin Suyesh, assistant professor of Sri Venkateswara College’s department of environmental science.

He stated that the roadkill survey conducted this monsoon showed the deaths of several smaller animals, including rodents, lizards, insects, and primarily amphibians. “Among amphibians, the slow-moving toads were the biggest victims, comprising more than 60% of the total animals that were found dead on roads during the survey.”

The assistant professor explained that amphibians are known for their poor dispersion ability and fragmentation of their habitat makes them prone to local extinctions. For frogs, roads act as a man-made barrier, reduce their dispersion ability, kill them and reduce their population density.

“Delhi-NCR already has a very low population density of amphibians. They are struggling to survive due to multiple anthropogenic disturbances. Mostly amphibians can be seen in the urban green spaces and on the outer limits of the city, but expanding city and upcoming developmental projects are destroying their habitat and are making them vulnerable to local extinction. Roadkill is another major reason that brings down their population density,” Suyesh said.

The study further stated that amphibians migrate in search of the breeding sites and tend to cross the roads as their habitats in the city are severely fragmented by roads. The movement across the roads, which happens mostly during the night (as they are nocturnal), makes them more vulnerable to roadkill.

Suyesh said that “a general driving awareness among people is important to ensure the safety of animals, including amphibians. Local bodies and authorities also need to look into this issue.”