Train mows down three elephants, calf in Odisha

BHUBANESWAR: Four elephants, including a tusker and a calf, were killed early Monday morning in an elephant corridor Jharsuguda district of Odisha when they were knocked down by a speeding train in the worst such tragedy in the state since 2012.

The 12810 Howrah-mumbai Mail passing through Bagdihi forest range rammed into the pachyderms as they were trying to negotiate their way across track near an unmanned level crossing near Teladihi early this morning. All the animals were killed in the impact of collision, said Jharsuguda Divisional Forest Officer Sushant Kumar.

Forest officials said the herd probably was coming from the Bamra wildlife division, a part of the Sambalpur elephant reserve, around 20 km away.

Three earth moving machines were deployed to clear the carcasses from the tracks . Several trains were stopped at Jharsuguda station.

Wildlife activists said the mishap exacerbates concerns about the state’s record on such incidents.

In December 2012, the Coromandel Express knocked down six elephants at Rambha area of Ganjam district. In the last 8 years, 22 elephants in the state have been killed on rail tracks.

The place where Monday’s mishap took place is known to be a vulnerable spot for elephants. Last September, a fourmonth-old calf that had sneaked into Teladihi village in search of food died after falling into a railway trench.

A month later, a 15-year-old female elephant was electrocuted by a stray live wire while trying to rescue her calf that had fallen into another trench. The calf died too.

In the aftermath of the December 2012 incident in Ganjam district, a committee set up by the Union ministry of environment and forests had recommended that the Railways should restrict the speed of trains passing through identified vulnerable areas in forests to a maximum 40 km per hour to prevent elephant deaths.

Monday’s incident sparked outrage rage among wildlife activists. “Today’s incident is nothing less than massacre of elephants by Railways. The forest department had issued a specific advisory to the Railways to slow down trains at Teladihi section as it was a regular elephant crossing zone.

Why did not the Railways take the necessary steps? ” said Dr Biswajit Mohanty, former member of National Board of Wildlife.