Increase in instances of monkeys run over by speeding vehicles on the Salem – Yercaud Ghat Road is proving a matter of concern for the wildlife activists and the Forest Department officials alike.
The hill station of Yercaud attracts tourists from across Tamil Nadu and the neighbouring States of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala round the year. The hill station is situated about 30 km from Salem city. The ghat road accounts for 20 hairpin bends.
Wild animals such as gaurs, spotted deer, monkeys are found in plenty in the reserve forests of the Eastern Ghats. The tourists, in their enthusiasm, feed the monkeys on the ghat road section every now and then, despite the Forest Department banning the practice.
The feeding of monkeys on the ghat road affects both the monkeys and the forest. On various occasions, the monkeys while taking the food items thrown on the road by the tourists get killed by speeding vehicles.
Wildlife and social activists have urged the Forest Department personnel and the police to take effective steps to check speeding of vehicles, particularly those descending from the hill station, to prevent roadkill of monkeys.
According to the District Forest Officer, A. Periyasamy, the food habits of the monkeys in the Yercaud reserve forests has changed to a big extent due to the feeding of food by the tourists.
He said that the Forest Department has already directed the tourists not to throw food packets and other eatables such as fruits, vegetables, peanuts to the monkeys wandering along the stretch of the ghat road. The department has even conducted awareness campaigns by distributing pamphlets, installing display boards highlighting the possible effects of feeding monkeys and its impact on the forest and the monkeys.
Those responsible for the death of wild animals would face severe legal action, Mr. Periyasamy warned.