Civet cat dies after hit by vehicle on Tirumala ghat road

Tirupati: A civet cat (punugu pilli) an endangered species died after being hit by an unidentified vehicle on Tirumala up ghat road on Saturday morning.

The passerby after noticing the body of the cat, informed the forest department officials, who rushed the spot .The carcass was shifted to SV Veterinary College for post-mortem.

Speaking on the incident, forest range officer (FRO) Subramanyam said the civet cat is on the list of endangered species. An unidentified vehicle hit the cat fatallywhile it was crossing the road, he said and added that the department will take measures to prevent the rare nocturnal animal from entering onto ghat road as traffic movement on the road was heavy.

The FRO said fencing will be laid along both sides of the Ghat road in the areas where the movements of civet cats were high in the forest, and added that the fence will also prevent langurs coming onto road as large number of langurs are usually found moving on the road. It may be noted here that a pregnant deer was knocked down by an RTC bus on Tirumala ghat road recently. The animal gave birth to a fawn before dying.

Interestingly, a waxy secretion from the body of civet cat is an essential ingredient in the aromatic substances used in daily and weekly rituals performed for the presiding deity in the Tirumala temple.