App for reporting roadkill will help curb wildlife deaths

Next time you spot a wild animal mowed down on a highway or a rail track, you can report it on mobile app ‘Roadkills’, a citizen science initiative that aims to build a database on wildlife killed on roads, railways and along canals. It will  also red-flag danger spots for the animals, thereby helping in reducing their mortality rate.

The app by non-profit Wildlife Conservation Trust (WCT), launched on Sunday, will allow people to upload photos of the wildlife deaths and tag their precise location.

“Lakhs of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians in total are killed annually on roads and rails. It’s a herculean task to collect this data. The app can be used to record this vital data,” said Dr Anish Andheria, president, WCT.

The data collated from users would be plotted on a map and uploaded on a website. WCT hopes it would help in reducing wildlife mortality and identify areas where wildlife face the maximum threats.

The data would help suggest spots where government agencies can build underpasses, overpasses and wildlife crossings for safe passage.

The app’s launch comes after five elephants including a pregnant one were killed by a speeding train near Balipara   in Assam on December 17. In the second incident, Bajirao, an 8-year-old tiger from Bor sanctary was killed on the Nagpur-Amravati NH-6.

“Wildlife mortality is often underreported. We hope Roadkills helps in planning infrastructure better and devising win-win solutions,” said Milind Parkiwakam of WCT.