A tiger from Parsa National Park was killed along the Pathlaiya-Hetauda section of East-West Highway on Saturday.

The female tiger of between nine and ten years of age was knocked down by a speeding car at around 7:15am, according to Ramesh Kumar Yadav, information officer with the park.

“This is an unfortunate event that we lost a healthy tiger early morning,” Yadav told the Post, from the park’s headquarter in Aadhabhar, Bara, over the phone. “The tiger was hit in the middle of the road while it was crossing the highway. It died on the spot.”

Ajay Kumar Mishra, 53, of Sarlahi was driving the car that knocked down the tiger along the highway. Mishra and the vehicle have been taken under the control of the park authority. As per law, the driver could be sentenced between five and 15 years in prison or fined between Rs500,000 and Rs1,000,000 or both.

“The incident happened because of overspeeding as the weather was clear this morning. There was no fog,” said Yadav. “Mishra did not flee the scene; instead, he himself reported to the police station.”

Like other protected areas of the terai region, where East-West highway traverses through the park, Parsa National Park also witnesses regular vehicle and wildlife collisions. In 2016, a tiger was killed in a road accident in Bardia National Park and another tiger from the same park had also died in a road accident in 2019.

A tiger from the park was left injured a few months ago after hit by a vehicle in 2020.

Parsa National Park has shown an impressive growth of tiger population in recent years. The latest census of 2018 has put the tiger population in Parsa at 18, a rise from seven in 2013. A carrying capacity study of tigers has shown that the protected area can accommodate nearly 40 tigers.

“But the area has heavy traffic movement because of the East-West highway,” said Yadav. “Vehicular movement along the busy highway causing disturbance to the wildlife remains a challenge for their safety.”