THE Peninsular Malaysia Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) is in talks with Waze to include a roadkill hotspots alert on the community-based traffic and navigation app, especially for areas that see a lot of endangered species killed.

Biodiversity conservation division assistant director Gilmore G. Bolongon said this is among the department’s long-term strategies to protect wildlife.

“There is a pattern in the occurrence of roadkill involving endangered species. We have a database containing information on the locations where these incidents occur, and the areas where crashes frequently happen.

“We are making an effort to put a stop to this. We are trying to get Waze to highlight these hotspots on its app, so that people will be more aware and slow down their vehicles when approaching such areas,” he told Bernama after the Big Cats-Teh Tarik Screening Session at Petrosains in Kuala Lumpur last night.

He said the LPT2 East Coast Expressway connecting Kuala Terengganu with Jabor is one of the routes that record a high number of roadkills.

It was reported that LPT2 cuts through several forest reserves without overhead crossings or viaducts built for the benefit of animals, resulting in the deaths of many endangered species, including tigers and sun bears, when they try crossing the road. – Bernama, March 24, 2018.