Observation Guidelines
These guidelines explain what observations can be reported to the India Roadkill Monitoring Project (IRMP), what information to record, and how to submit an observation safely.
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What is a Wildlife Roadkill?
A wildlife roadkill is the death of a wild vertebrate resulting from a collision with a motor vehicle. IRMP documents roadkill observations involving mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians found on or near roads.
What Can Be Reported?
- Wild Vertebrates: Report wild mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians. Domestic animals, pets and livestock are not included in the IRMP database.
- Vehicle Collision: The animal's death or fatal injury should be attributable to a collision with a motor vehicle on the road.
- Location: Observations may be reported when remains are found on the road surface, road shoulder, median, verge, or railway track, or immediately adjacent to the road or railway.
- Fresh or Older Remains: Both fresh carcasses and older remains may be reported, including decomposed remains, skeletal remains and flattened carcasses, where a vehicle or train collision can reasonably be established.
- All Life Stages: Individuals of all life stages may be reported, including adults, sub-adults, juveniles, nestlings and hatchlings.
What Should Not Be Reported?
The following are generally outside the scope of the IRMP:
- Animals that died from natural causes, disease or old age, where there is no evidence of a vehicle or train collision.
- Wildlife that was hunted, poached or trapped and subsequently placed or discarded near a road or railway.
- Predator kills where there is no evidence of a vehicle or train collision.
- Domestic pets and livestock, including dogs, cats, cattle and goats.
- Carcasses transported from another location for disposal.
- Wildlife mortality caused by power lines, glass windows or other non-vehicle-related structures.
How to Submit an Observation
Download the India Roadkill Monitoring app from the relevant app store.
If it is safe to do so, photograph the animal and its immediate surroundings. Record any useful location information, such as nearby road signs or landmarks. Never put yourself or others at risk to photograph or report an animal. Do not stop, stand or walk on a road or railway track in an unsafe location, and never photograph while driving.
Submit the observation through the app with the photograph, date and species identification, if known. If the species is unknown, please select the "Unidentified/Other" available in mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian sections of the data form. If you cannot identify the species, you can still submit the observation. Additional notes may be included where relevant.
Submitted observations undergo IRMP's quality-control and verification process. Records may be reviewed for taxonomic identification, geographic accuracy and other data-quality considerations before being incorporated into the database.