Railway: Killer of Wild Animal
I searched many pictures about wildlife-vehicle collisions online. Some wild animals are repeatedly crushed by road vehicles, their bodies are bloody and miserable.
In addition to direct collisions, another biggest problem is the fragmentation of habitat. The road blocks the migration way of some species, sometimes even threatens the survival of their populations. In China, the second part of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway was opened on July 1, 2006, it is across three national nature reserves, cutting off the breeding migration route of a group of Tibetan antelopes. One effective way to solve the problem is designing corridors for wild animals.
From 2003 to 2007, the manual monitoring found that the Tibetan antelope is gradually accustomed to the corridor in Hoh Xil (an isolated region in the northwestern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in China). At first, Tibetan antelope wandered with fear around the corridor, but the fear gradually disappeared, the channel usage has increased from 56.6% to 100%.
Not all rare animals are concerned as “sensitive species” as Tibetan antelope is. Przewalski’s horse stocking in the Kalamaili Reserve in Xinjiang is close to the National Highway 216. From August to October 2007, 6 of the 50 wild horses were killed by vehicles, that was a serious threat to the survival of the population.
One problem on planning eco-friendly railway is the lack of long-term observation data of local wild animal. Outdated observations may affect the design of wildlife corridors.
Some drivers also feel confused. A driver killed a badger on a railway. “It happened in a morning, I drove with a speed of only 60 kilometers per hour,” he said.
Sources:
http://www.conservationleadershipprogramme.org/media/2014/11/060307L_2007_China_FinalReport.pdf
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v528/n7583/full/528474a.html
https://arc-solutions.org/new-thinking/
Pictures:
https://arc-solutions.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Vail-Pass-Coyote_Paula-MacKay-WTI.jpeg
