Cops paint horns of stray cattle to curb ‘man-animal conflict’ on road

Stray cattle are a menace for motorists, as they often come in the way of vehicles, often resulting in accidents. As it has become almost impossible for them to remove them from the roads, the Tiruvallur Town station police have initiated this measure. Quite like reflectors guide the motorists in the dark, the reflective paint would alert them about the cattle on the road.

Tiruvallur Town inspector Ravikumar began the initiative on Sunday as per the advice from senior officers. Along with the traffic police wing, they are giving fluorescent coating to a few stray cattle’s horns. “It is a safety measure for both vehicle users as well as the animals. The paint will work as a reflector and caution the motorists from a distance. So the vehicles can reduce speed well in advance and prevent accidents,” he said.

The inspector said that these cattle that are not claimed by anyone loiter around the market areas during the day and settle on the roadsides during the night hours. When they try to cross the road in the dark, motorists hit them leading to accidents, including fatal ones. “Vehicles travelling on Chennai-Tirupati road face this problem a lot. We hope this initiative helps reduce such mishaps,” he said. If the initiative succeeds, it will be extended to other areas of the district.

He said the police personnel would do this work whenever they get time, and added that it was not easy to tame stray cattle and paint their horns.

When contacted, Tiruvallur Superintendent P Aravindhan said, “Traffic inspectors have been instructed to identify stray cattle and paint their horns. The focus is on areas where more accidents have been reported.”