Radium collars on stray cattle to alert drivers during low visibility

According to the police, there are about 300-440 stray cattle that routinely enter the roads, posing a constant threat to the traffic int he region. At night, the animals often stand or sit on the middle of the roads, increasing chances of accidents.

Amid constant threat of accidents and animals being hit by vehicles passing through the national highway 125 at night, the police in Uttarakhand’s Champawat are tying radium collars around the neck of stray cattle to alert the drivers. So far, about five dozen stray cattle have been collared, police said.

A policeman tying a radium collar around a cow’s neck .(HT Photo)

“A few months ago, three cattle were mowed down by the vehicles on the national highway in Tanakpur and Banbasa because of low visibility. Also, stray animals on the highway pose danger to the drivers, so we have decided to tie radium collar on the animals,” Champawat superintendent of police Dhirendra Gunjyal said.

Tanakpur and Banbasa are plain areas, and have more vehicular movement than the district’s hilly regions. According to the police, there are about 300-440 stray cattle that routinely enter the roads, posing a constant threat to the traffic int he region. At night, the animals often stand or sit on the middle of the roads, increasing chances of accidents.

“We got these collars made at the Champawat police line by the members of the women welfare committee, whom we provided the radium stickers and cotton stripes. Each collar costs ₹20,” the SP said.

Made of cotton, the officer said that the collars are “safe and won’t hurt the animals”. He said the police have also shifted some bulls out of the town as these were posing threat to the pedestrians.

The local body is responsible for the control of such stray animals but the lack of infrastructure that could facilitate their catching and rearing made us take this initiative, which would reduce chances of accidents on the national highway, the officer explained.

Subash Katoch, a local transporter in Tanakpur, praised the police’s initiative, saying it would help drivers at night when it’s most unsafe as animals sitting on the road are barely visible.