Animal-vehicle collision on the roads is a major cause of mortality of a wide range of animal taxa both within and around protected areas. This study has been conducted in the National Highway 715 (new) covering a continuous stretch of 64 km that passes through Kaziranga National Park (KNP) of Assam (India). The area falls between the boundary of KNP on its north and North Karbi Anglong Wildlife sanctuary on the south. The survey concentrated on the mortality study of four groups of vertebrates viz., amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals resulting from collisions with vehicles from October 2016 through September, 2017. A total of 6036 individual roadkills were registered, belonging to 53 species, 23 other taxa and 30 families of vertebrates, with herpetofauna being the most affected group followed by birds and mammals. The study evaluated seasonal variation in the overall roadkill pattern with highest mortality in the monsoon season 38.27% (n = 2310) and with peak casualties starting with the onset of rainfall (February and March) and during monsoons (July and August). The amphibian mortality was also found to be highest during the monsoon with 43.28% (n = 1575) of kills, as compared to the other three groups. NH-715 (new), therefore serves as a challenging passage for the animals, forming a major barrier for the faunal component of the Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong landscape. This study thus tried to reflect the often overlooked issue of roads and highways in terms of direct mortality of animals due to traffic and thereby can be helpful in understanding the seriousness of the situation and identifying prospective measures to be taken for sustainable coexistence of both animals and human.

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This study was conducted on a continuous 64-km stretch of National Highway (NH) 715, which bifurcates the Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong landscape complex, with Kaziranga National Park on its southern side and North Karbi Anglong Wildlife Sanctuary on the northern side. The survey was carried out from October 2017 to September 2018 via two-way journeys three days a week, with two observers using a motor vehicle at a steady speed of 25–35 km/hour. Roadkill reports of one Large Indian Civet Viverra zibetha and six Small Indian Civets Viverricula indica were collected. Both the species are solitary and nocturnal, and prefer to inhabit secondary landscapes intermingled with human habitation. This stretch of NH 715 forms a crucial passage for wildlife foraging and breeding, and this study reflects the impacts of roads causing wildlife-vehicle collision for two civet species.