Signs around the world

In most countries of the world, traffic signs warn drivers against crossing wildlife. In former days, the signs depicted larger animals, which constituted a danger to the driver and his vehicle. In later years, however, many signs have appeared, which urge drivers to slow down, as small animals, such as frogs or hedgehogs, often cross the road – not for the sake of traffic security, but to avoid mass death among these small animals due to fast-moving vehicles. – The pictures below show a selection of traffic signs, depicting various animals.

The endemic Taiwan macaque (Macaca cyclopis) is fairly common in most parts of Taiwan. This sign was photographed near Linnei. – Another picture, depicting this species, is found elsewhere on this page. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

This traffic sign in Death Valley National Park, California, warns against burros (feral donkeys) on the road. – Read more about burros on this website, see Animals – Animals as servants of Man: Horses, donkeys and mules. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

In many countries, cattle are roaming the countryside outside enclosures, and you must be aware that you may encounter them any time. This sign is from northern Turkey. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Various species of hedgehog are often killed by cars, and in some places they have declined drastically. This sign on the island of Öland, Sweden, warns car drivers against crossing European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus). (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

In rocky areas of India, traffic-’signs’ are often painted on rock walls or large boulders. In this picture, a dog is resting beneath the poor remains of a ‘sign’ in Ladakh. The building in the background is Shey Palace, formerly residence of the King of Ladakh. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Old-fashioned way of a blacksmith’s shop to announce their service, village of Dalinpo, near Kaohshiung, Taiwan. Painted on the wall outside the shop, the text reads: “Hammering iron shop. Retail, repair, production. Sharpening of knives”. To the left a faded New Year’s ribbon, saying: “Ten thousand miles of spring light gives out heavenly fortune” (i.e. money). (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

This sign urges visitors not to throw garbage in nature, informing them, how long it really takes for certain items to break down completely: cigarette butts and chewing gum 5 years; plastic bottle 300 years; aluminum can 500 years; and glass bottle 4,000 years. The ‘beetle’ is made from a plastic bottle, a disposable can, and cigarette butts. – Lake Toplitz, near Bad Aussee, Austria. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

‘Look and decide!’ – Along many trails in the Himalaya, you find interesting information boards, painted by local artists, showing hiking trails, mountains, rivers, villages, and a selection of the local wildlife. These three boards were all encountered in the Modi Khola Valley, Annapurna, Nepal. In the upper picture, the board depicts a Himalayan tahr (Hemitragus jemlahicus), a leopard (Panthera pardus), and a creature, which is probably supposed to be a snow leopard (Uncia uncia), but which resembles a hybrid between a leopard and a tiger (Panthera tigris). – The board in the bottom picture depicts mountains, a dancing couple, and a pair of kalij pheasants (Lophura leucomelanos). (Photos copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Is an ongoing feud taking place among western chatting animals? – Sign in Annamalai National Park, West Ghats, Tamil Nadu, India. (‘Bloodivensity’ should be ‘biodiversity’, and ‘Western Chats’ should be ‘Western Ghats’ – a mountain range in South India. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Sign, discouraging people from feeding coyotes (Canis latrans), Tucson Mountain Park, Arizona, United States. – Pictures of coyotes are found on this website, see Gallery: Animals – Dogs. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Road sign, warning against thieving long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis), Monkey Forest, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia. – Read more about the long-tailed macaque, as well as many other monkeys, elsewhere on this website, see Animals: Monkeys and apes. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

The text on this discarded oil drum forbids entry into a diamond area near Lüderitz, Namibia. – Read more about this diamond area, and about Namibia in general, on this website, see Countries and places: Namibia – a desert country. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Beware, dog owners! This sign indicates that you get a fine for having your dog on a leash, and also for cleaning up after it! – Winnekenni Park, Haverhill, Massachusetts, United States. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Churchgoers in San Pedro de Atitlan, Lago Atitlan, Guatemala, often have a few drinks before going to church. For this reason, they are in dire need to relieve themselves, when the service is over. This sign, which is hanging on the church wall, says: ‘Please do not urinate here’. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

The speed limit is indeed very low, when you pass over this road bump near Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh, India. – Before you have finished studying the sign, you may have had an accident! (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Sign at a feeding area for Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis), Komodo Island National Park, Indonesia. Today, this practice has been banned. – Read more about Komodo dragons on this website, see Travel episodes: Indonesia 1985 – Difficult journey to Komodo. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

No entry. – Dilapidated traffic sign in the village of Glömminge, Öland, Sweden. If you remove the fern, you are informed that residents, or others with an errand, are allowed to enter. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

A nice, old-fashioned grocery store with numerous old-fashioned signs, Nesbyen, Halling Valley, Buskerud, Norway. This picture was taken in 1978, so the shop may have disappeared by now. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Dog, sleeping beneath a sign with the following slogan (in English and Nepali): ‘Clean green healthy Kathmandu’. The surroundings seem to belie this allegation. – Kathmandu, Nepal. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Suspension bridge across the Bhote Kosi River, near Jagat, Bhote Kosi Valley, C Nepal. – In 2004, when this picture was taken, this area was controlled by Maoist rebels. The red banner on the bridge reads: ‘Let us fight against the government. Help the low castes and get rid of the caste system.’ – I had to pay a ‘donation’ of 1000 Rupees, or I would not be allowed to pass this village, but otherwise the Maoists were very polite to me. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Sadly, on this row of mani stones (stone slabs with chiseled Buddhist mantras), near Upshi, Ladakh, India, it has been necessary to instruct tourists not to urinate at this sacred site. – Read more about mani stones – and about Buddhism in general – on this website, see Religion: Buddhism. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

In 2015, in a remote corner of Zealand, Denmark, I found this fine, old-fashioned traffic sign, depicting school children, which had miraculously survived modernization. The children trot towards school, school bags in hand, the girl dressed in a skirt – unthinkable in today’s Denmark, where children carry a backpack, and girls are dressed in trousers. This sign is a stark contrast to modern Danish signs, which depict children with ugly, circular heads. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Kitschy sign, warning against a dangerous side trail on the Walami Trail, Yushan National Park, E Taiwan. The announced danger has nothing to do with bears, however, although the Formosan black bear (Selenarctos thibetanus ssp. formosanus) is occasionally seen in this area. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

I found this sign with a remarkable English text: ‘Yuxin the bed is last toreside the decoratins’, outside a shop in Yuanyang, Yunnan Province, China. I was told that the shop sold bedroom decoration. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

The chacma baboon (Papio ursinus) lives in southern Africa. This sign in Cape of Good Hope National Park, South Africa, prohibits feeding of baboons. Where they are fed regularly by tourists, baboons often become aggressive and may have to be shot. – Read more about baboons, as well as many other monkeys, elsewhere on this website, see Animals: Monkeys and apes. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Signpost in Sheding Nature Park, Kenting National Park, S Taiwan, shaped as a sika deer (Cervus nippon) – a species which was exterminated in this area, but now has been re-introduced. The text says: ‘Keep walking! Approaching to exit!’ (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

This photo studio in Guiyang, Guizhou Province, China, can compete with the famous town in Wales about possessing the world’s longest name: HAPPYBOYCHILDPHOTOGRAPHYORGANIZATION. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

This Taiwan macaque (Macaca cyclopis) at Linbei Chukou, near Linnei, Taiwan, is waiting to be fed by tourists beside a sign, which prohibits people to do so. The presence of the monkey is proof that this rule is often violated. – Read more about the Taiwan macaque, as well as many other monkeys, elsewhere on this website, see Animals: Monkeys and apes. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

This steep flight of stairs in Jhiben National Forest Recreation Area, Taiwan leads up to a huge weeping fig (Ficus benjamina) with numerous stilt roots, called ‘Thousand-root Banyan’. Obviously, this sign has been placed here to encourage people who are about to turn back! (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Don’t disturb this bonnet macaque (Macaca radiata)! – Sign in Periyar National Park, Kerala, India. – Read about bonnet macaque, as well as many other monkeys, elsewhere on this website, see Animals: Monkeys and apes. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

In ‘Black Necked Crane Hotel’, Weining, Guizhou Province, China, I noticed this sign on the counter. At first sight, the meaning of the text was not quite obvious, but ‘with a little help from my friends’, some light was thrown on it: Guests were requested not to leave any valuables in their room. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Indian traffic sign, depicting a school boy, running for dear life. He is probably aware that Indian drivers show very little respect for pedestrians! – Munnar, Kerala, India. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Commercial signs, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. – Santa, handing out Coca Cola as Christmas gifts. As the temperature in this area all year around is about 28^o Centigrade, he must be terribly hot in his outfit! (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

In this shop in the village of Tingri, Tibet you can buy vegetables, and if they don’t go down too well, you can always come back here to buy some drugs! And when you have eaten the drugs, maybe you’ll xing a song? (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

‘Delicious sweet fine here.’ – Sign outside a shop in the village of Marpha, Kali Gandaki, C Nepal. Are you going to get fined here, but in a nice way? No, on the contrary, you can find delicious sweets inside the shop. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Chinese propaganda, Shigatse, Tibet, 1987. This huge poster, depicting very happy Tibetan herders, is a striking contrast to the harsh conditions, which the Tibetans had to endure during The Cultural Revolution. – The text, in Chinese and Tibetan, announces the following: ‘Act together! Pay attention to hygiene! Prevent illness by raising your personal health level!’ (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Home-made sign near Samfya, Zambia: ‘Barber shop and hair blowi-ng’. – In 1997, when this photograph was taken, a trend among Zambian women was to make their hair look as big as possible, so hot air was blown into it to make it even more fluffy. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

(Uploaded August 2016)

(Revised continuously)

Kaj Halberg - writer & photographer

Travels ‐ Landscapes ‐ Wildlife ‐ People

Signs around the world