PUTRAJAYA: Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said today man, who has the responsibility of protecting wildlife, has killed 1,914 wild animals such as civets, wild boars, marbled cats and tapirs in road accidents since 2011.
Mammals among the wildlife were the most number of animals killed in these accidents, and they totalled 1,110, he said.
These protected species were killed on federal, state and municipal roads involving 61 road and highway networks in the whole country, he said in a statement here.
“This conflict between man and wildlife can be averted if operators of development and utility projects have a high level of concern about the importance of wildlife and their conservation and protection.
“We have to understand that wildlife depend totally on us to protect them and that they too have a right to live on this earth,” he said.
Wan Junaidi said the department had taken several proactive measures to address the issue, among them installing 236 wildlife crossing road signs at 133 hotspots in peninsular Malaysia.
"These road signs remind motorists to slow down their vehicles at these spots," he said.
He also said that 37 transverse bar sets and 24 units of solar amber light had been installed at eight locations along the Central Forest Spine.
"The department has also build viaducts for wildlife crossing at three wildlife corridor locations, in Sungai Deka, Terengganu; Sungai Yu, Pahang and Gerik, Perak, to address the 'roadkill' problem," he said. -- BERNAMA