Speeding Vehicles Kill Two Tigers on AP Highways

Vijayawada, Nellore: Two tigers were found dead on national highways in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday in separate incidents reported from Palnadu and Prakasam districts, raising serious concerns over wildlife safety along road corridors passing through forest areas.Preliminary investigations suggest that the deaths may have occurred due to road accidents involving hit-and-run vehicles.In the first incident, a tiger carcass was found at about 1 am near Bandlavagu on National Highway 563 in the Markapur range of Prakasam district. Forest officials rushed to the spot on receiving information and carried out a detailed inspection. Following protocol, a post-mortem examination was conducted, after which the carcass was incinerated.Preliminary findings indicate that the tiger may have died after being hit by a vehicle, though officials said the exact cause would be confirmed only after analysis of the post-mortem report.Markapur Project Tiger deputy director Mohammad Abdul Rawoof Shaik said detailed reports had been forwarded to higher authorities and further action would be taken based on the findings of the investigation.In a separate incident, a tiger was killed after being hit by an unidentified vehicle on National Highway 565 near Sirigiripadu in Veldurti mandal of Macherla constituency in Palnadu district during the early hours of Tuesday.According to Vijayapuri South Range forest range officer V. Sujatha, the forest range is home to four tigers, and one of them died in the mishap. A case has been registered, and a joint investigation by the forest and police departments is under way to trace the vehicle involved.Local residents expressed concern over repeated wildlife deaths near highways and demanded stricter preventive measures. They stressed the need for stronger wildlife protection mechanisms, speed regulations and warning systems along highways passing through forest and fringe areas to prevent such incidents in the future.



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