Factors affecting the risk of traffic accidents involving the Okinawa rail

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  • Mori Yoshihisa
    Department of Animal Sciences, Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, Teikyo University of Science & Technology
  • Ibe Hiroshi
    Department of Animal Sciences, Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, Teikyo University of Science & Technology
  • Ogura Kumiko
    Department of Animal Sciences, Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, Teikyo University of Science & Technology
  • Sato Takamichi
    Department of Animal Sciences, Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, Teikyo University of Science & Technology
  • Otani Yui
    Department of Animal Sciences, Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, Teikyo University of Science & Technology

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Other Title
  • ヤンバルクイナの交通事故リスクに関わる要因
  • ヤンバルクイナ ノ コウツウ ジコ リスク ニ カカワル ヨウイン

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Abstract

We investigated the records of 69 traffic accidents involving the Okinawa rail, Gallirallus okinawae, and the road conditions at the scenes of 36 of these accidents. We found that the location of these traffic accidents tended to move northward over the year. The accidents occurred mostly in May (30.4%) and June (30.4%), followed by August (13.0%). Most of the victims were adult birds of either sex, although chicks (in April), fledglings (in May and June), and juveniles (in July, August, December, and January) were also involved. The Okinawa rails were observed most frequently between May and July, and the number of tourists visiting the Yambaru area peaked in August. The monthly number of accidents was positively correlated with both the number of tourists visiting the Yambaru area and the number of rails observed along roads. Most accidents occurred on long and straight or gently curving roads, with high undergrowth along the sides, and without guard rails. These findings suggest that the risk of traffic accidents involving the Okinawa rail depends on the activities of the rail in relation to reproductive ecology, the volume of traffic in the Yambaru area, and the road conditions and the local environment, such as the access to roads. We propose that the risk of traffic accidents involving the Okinawa rail be managed by considering these factors.

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