Endangered Level 1 Otters Continue to Suffer Roadkill on Highways

Assemblyman Jo O-seop: "Urgent Expansion Needed for Ecological Passages and Guide Fences"

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] It has been revealed that fatal accidents involving otters, which are natural monuments and Grade 1 endangered wild animals, are occurring repeatedly on highways.

In particular, in addition to otters, roadkill accidents involving wild animals such as water deer are steadily occurring on highways, and secondary accidents caused by roadkill leading to traffic accidents are continuously increasing, raising urgent calls for countermeasures.

According to data from the National Assembly audit received by Assemblyman Jo Oh-seop (Democratic Party of Korea, Gwangju Buk-gu Gap) from Korea Expressway Corporation, a total of 9,373 wild animal roadkill accidents have occurred on highways over the past six years.

Chungnam recorded the highest number with 2,034 cases, followed by Chungbuk with 1,562, Gyeonggi 1,476, Gangwon 1,346, Gyeongbuk 839, Jeonbuk 755, Gyeongnam 493, Jeonnam 369, and Daejeon 284.

Water deer accounted for the most cases at 8,143, followed by wild boar 563, raccoon dog 365, badger 125, hare 36, leopard cat 35, roe deer 34, weasel 22, deer 4, and others 46. Natural monument otters accounted for 28 cases, and mountain goats 1 case.

Among these, otters, which are natural monuments and Grade 1 endangered wild animals, have seen a steadily increasing frequency of accidents from 3 cases in 2016 to already 7 otters having died on highways by the end of August this year.

Otter roadkill was concentrated on highways in the Honam region, with 11 cases in Jeonnam and 6 in Jeonbuk, followed by 5 in Chungnam, 2 in Gyeongnam, 2 in Gyeongbuk, 1 in Chungbuk, and 1 in Daejeon.

The Expressway Corporation manages accident reduction by designating accident-prone sections and installing guiding fences and ecological passages according to the ‘Guidelines for Investigation and Management of Animal Road Accidents (Roadkill).’

However, there are only 55 ecological passages on highways across 17 metropolitan cities and provinces nationwide: 14 in Gangwon, 10 in Gyeongbuk, 8 in Jeonbuk, 5 in Gyeongnam, 4 in Jeonnam, 4 in Chungbuk, 3 in Chungnam, 3 in Ulsan, 3 in Gyeonggi, and 1 in Gwangju. Moreover, these are more frequently installed in regions with fewer roadkill accidents rather than in the Chungcheong and Honam regions, where roadkill accidents are most frequent.

Additionally, traffic accidents caused by wild animal roadkill have doubled from 7 cases in 2016 to 14 cases in 2020, highlighting the urgent need for countermeasures.

Assemblyman Jo said, "Although many endangered animals are returning as the four major rivers’ weirs are fully opened recently, natural monuments that die in accidents on highways are not decreasing. We need to closely examine the status of accident-prone sections and prepare measures to minimize accident risks, such as designating guiding fences and ecological passages."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.