A group of eco-tourists calling themselves Jud Kang Tent have launched a project in tandem with Khao Yai National Park and TOA Paint Thailand to create 3D painted crosswalks urging vehicles to slow down.
The idea is to mitigate the risk of animals being struck and injured or killed in and around national parks.
Suthat Phawilairat, the group's founder, said the project was inspired by repeated accidents that have seen wild animals of various sizes at national parks and sanctuaries hit by cars, with over 10,000 animals dying every year on average.
"The optical illusion on crosswalks is designed to slow down cars in national park areas and save the lives of those wild animals. The project was first launched on a model basis in Khao Yai National Park," said Mr Suthat.
Nantapon Boonlua, vice president of marketing at TOA Paint (Thailand) Public Co Ltd, said the company hopes to see the project become a new landmark for tourists while also mobilising tourism businesses to focus more on sustainability and remind drivers to proceed with caution.
"Due to the number of road accidents that are killing wildlife, TOA as a private company, paint manufacturer and expert, would like to be a part of this project with the Jud Kang Tent group and Khao Yai National Park," said Mr Nantapon.
The illustrations were designed by Preeyasri "Naamnoi" Promjinda, who introduced wild animals such as elephants and gaurs in the national park into the 3D drawings on crosswalks.
Khao Yai National Park spans 2,168 square kilometres, covering areas in Nakhon Ratchasima, Saraburi, Prachinburi, and Nakhon Nayok provinces.
The park is home to endangered species and the highest numbers of wild animals in Thailand, as it still has abundant food sources for almost all tropical wildlife, such as Asian elephants, gaurs, white-handed gibbons, sambar deer, hornbills and over 280 species of birds.
