Highway of death for wildlife soon to close

[webfact]

Highway of death for wildlife soon to close

By The Nation

 

 

Highway 3259 through Chachoengsao’s Khao Ang Rue Nai wildlife sanctuary – vehicles on which kill nearly 14,000 wild animals every year – will soon be permanently closed.

 

Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan on Monday affirmed that a new route around the forest would soon be completed.

 

He acknowledged that it would add 40 kilometres to the distance currently travelled, but, as president of the Five Provinces Bordering Forest Preservation Foundation, he is committed to protecting wildlife from harm.

 

Last week a pickup truck struck an elephant in the sanctuary, injuring both hind legs. The animal disappeared into the woods and has yet to be found.

 

Sanctuary chief Decha Nilwichien has claimed that nearly 14,000 wild animals die each year on Highway 3259.

 

Authorities in 2008 balked at closing the highway, citing the inconvenience it would cause motorists, and decided instead to close off the section through the forest between 9pm and 5am daily.

 

But a source in the provincial administration said the highway could be closed outright now if motorists instead used any of three longer routes – Chachoengsao-Phanom Sarakham-Khao Hin Son-Sa Kaew; Ban Klong Toramas-Ban Klong Toei-Ban Khlong Charoen; or Sanam Chai Khet-Ban Khlong Toei-Ban Khlong Charoen.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30339694

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-02-26

[Tilacme]

Thats a big tick from me ✔ 

[Just1Voice]

Good.

[PatOngo]

Good move, and after this maybe look at the highways that cause human deaths in even greater numbers!

[Odysseus123]

Excellent news.

[Bob12345]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Authorities in 2008 balked at closing the highway, citing the inconvenience it would cause motorists, and decided instead to close off the section through the forest between 9pm and 5am daily.

Motorists have voices and animals do not, so that decision was probably made without problems.

Nobody is going to stick up for some animals and risk their jobs, unless something as dramatic as this happens (including video).

[Artisi]

25 minutes ago, PatOngo said:

Good move, and after this maybe look at the highways that cause human deaths in even greater numbers!

No need to close highways, just get the BIB off their collective fat arse's to do some proactive law enforcement similar to what the civilised world do as a means to reduce the road kill.

Edited February 26, 2018 by Artisi

[Misterwhisper]

This is the right thing to do. Screw the "inconvenience to motorists". The little wildlife Thailand still has deserves every attempt at protection, and 14,000 animals allegedly killed on that highway each year is a horrendous figure. Motorists probably race over that highway as they usually do. Otherwise it is difficult to fathom how the pickup truck mentioned in the OP could struck that poor elephant. It is not as if the animal dashed out of the forest at lightning speed. I bet the driver just drove too fast and was unable to brake in time (and was perhaps even distracted by his cursed smartphone). And just to make sure that this road becomes unnavigable, the tarmac should be torn up. Simply closing it will not deter any of the locals to continue using it. 

[ratcatcher]

Good General "Tick Tock' Prawit has just earned himself a bucket load of brownie points for this act. Let us hope the new by-pass is soon ready.

[Artisi]

2 minutes ago, ratcatcher said:

Good General "Tick Tock' Prawit has just earned himself a bucket load of brownie points for this act. Let us hope the new by-pass is soon ready.

That's tick tick, ting tong....

[TerryLH]

57 minutes ago, PatOngo said:

Good move, and after this maybe look at the highways that cause human deaths in even greater numbers!

Greater than 14,000 a year?  I doubt any such road / highways exists.

[ratcatcher]

15 minutes ago, TerryLH said:

1 hour ago, PatOngo said:

Good move, and after this maybe look at the highways that cause human deaths in even greater numbers!

Greater than 14,000 a year?  I doubt any such road / highways exists.

I think his comment was valid as he said "highways".

https://asiancorrespondent.com/2015/03/thailand-road-deaths/#T1WdZtAlR5OkvrU7.97

 

'80 lives lost every day: Why are Thailand’s roads so dangerous?'
 

[Cake Monster]

There is a God up there looking down.

 

Unfortunately, the lunatic drivers in this Country will just move there location of carnage to another place.

 

 

[White Christmas13]

8 hours ago, Tilacme said:

Thats a big tick from me ✔ 

But you can still shoot black leopards can you ?

[chaiyapoon]

Been down this road a few times.Its reasonably wide and very straight.There are signs up warning of widelife crossing road.Very little traffic when I've used it saw a few monkeys near the road in a few places and one dead one at the road edge.I think there was a low speed limit on a stretch that more animals are likely to be crossing.Very boring road no features at all no loss if it's closed.Good for what's left of Thailands wildlife.