No matter how odd it may sound, there is an indeed a first of its kind elevated bridge for reptiles built by the Uttarakhand Forest Department. It was built as an eco friendly bridge across a busy highway in Ramnagar forest division in order to save the reptiles crushed under the busy traffic while trying to cross the road. The bridge is made of natural bamboo and grass and is spread across the two lanes kaladhungi-nainital highway and is of 90 foot long . It was told that the bidet for the same was Rs 2 lakh.
This is a fact the busy highway used by numerous number of vehicles have caused many such unfortunate death of reptiles and other animals trying to cross the path.
The forest officials are hopeful that the bridge would save many wild lives including even leopards.
Ramnagar Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Chandra Shekhar Joshi said that the bridge, which will be monitored by four camera traps, will be studied as a model by the Forest Department. Joshi also mentioned that the bridge has been made at a point where the road arcs in a wide ‘U’, and vehicles going downhill often travel at high speed. It is expected that by reducing the need for sudden braking in front of a crossing animal, the road will be safer for human beings too.
“This is a dense forest, and elephants, leopards, deer, and blue bulls move in this area. Drivers can see them from some distance and slow down or stop, but they rarely do so for snakes, lizards, monitors, or squirrels,” said a forest official.
