Speeding car kills tiger in U.P.’s Kheri

A speeding car killed a 7-year-old tiger near Dudhwa Tiger Reserve. The driver was arrested for violating wildlife protection laws.

A tiger was killed after a speeding car ran over the big cat near Rajnarayanpur railway crossing on Pallia-Mailani road under Mailani range of Dudhwa Tiger Reserve in Lakhimpur Kheri on Wednesday morning, officials said.

Deputy director, Dudhwa, Rengaraju T said the around 7-year-old tiger died on the spot. (Sourced)

Giving this information, deputy director, Dudhwa, Rengaraju T said the around 7-year-old tiger died on the spot. As per the forest official, the errant driver identified as Laxman Saud of Delhi had been arrested and sent to jail. He was booked under section 9/51 of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.

Under the Act, there is a provision for a minimum three-year jail term in such incidents. The vehicle involved in the accident was also impounded, the deputy director said. Field director, H Rajamohan, told HT that the errant driver in his statement said he was returning after dropping a passenger in Gaurifanta.

The driver also admitted that he was driving fast in violation of speed restrictions inside the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve area where vehicles are allowed to move at the speed of 30 km per hour, the forest official said.

After running over the tiger, the car also got damaged and stopped, he added. Rajamohan said the patrolling staff on duty saw the accident and nabbed the driver. He said the patrolling staff later recovered the carcass of the tiger.This is the second road accident in this area since December last. On December 20, 2024, a leopardess was run over by some unidentified vehicle.

The Gaurifanta-Pallia-Bhira-Mailani highway, which passes through Dudhwa Tiger Reserve area, is the connecting route to Bareilly and Delhi due to which vehicular movement on the highway remains high.

As the highway runs along the protected forest areas, wild animals, including big cats, also walk over there which exposes them to road accident risk. In view of this, Dudhwa authorities have put up barriers and warning boards at vital spots, instructing the drivers to follow speed limit restrictions.