Tourists venture animal crossing zones on Dhimbam Ghat road despite warnings

Tourists ignore warnings at animal crossing zones on Dhimbam Ghat road, risking lives for photographs despite installed warning boards.

Despite warning boards installed at animal crossing zones along the Dhimbam Ghat road, tourists continue to risk their lives to step out of their vehicles and take photographs.

The Dindigul – Bengaluru National Highway (NH 948) passes through the core area of the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR), stretching from the forest check posts at Bannari in the plains to Karapallam near Hasanur in the hills. It includes a 14 km stretch from Bannari to Dhimbam with 27 hairpin bends and serves as a crucial road connecting Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. While monkeys are commonly seen along the Ghat road, animals such as elephants, leopards, deer, wild boars and other animals also use this stretch.

The Forest Department has installed warning boards at several locations on the Ghat road where animal crossings are common. These boards instruct motorists not to stop their vehicles or step onto the road. However, these rules are largely ignored. Tourists in vans, cars and two-wheelers often stop at various points to take selfies, photograph the scenery, or enjoy the mist. A board reading “leopard crossing zone” is prominently displayed near Dhimbam, but since there is ample space for parking, violations occur daily. “The message on these boards is written in Tamil, and tourists from other States remain unaware of the danger,” said a lorry driver from Sathyamangalam. The area has become a popular spot for tourists visiting the hill area and for other motorists as well, the driver added.

Motorists have called for installing multilingual warning boards at these locations and urged the Forest Department to patrol the road more actively and impose fines on violators.