West Bengal: 3 elephants killed after being hit by train
A heartbreaking train accident took place on Monday morning near Buxa Tiger Reserve in West Bengal's Alipurduar district. A speeding freight train from Alipurduar Junction to Siliguri reportedly mowed down three elephants, including a calf, near Shikhari Gate between Rajabhatkhawa and Kalchini Railway Stations. The accident occurred around 7:00am, following which officials rushed to the spot; a probe is underway. After a brief suspension, train services resumed at around 10:30am, said reports.
Goods train killed pregnant elephant in August
A senior official from Alipurduar district reportedly said, "The train was passing a forest area when it met with the accident. The area is a corridor for wild animals." "We are trying to ascertain the train's speed at the time of the accident. The driver of the train is being questioned," he added. This comes after a speeding goods train in August killed a pregnant elephant in the Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary in Bengal's Jalpaiguri district.
Most incidents under Northeast Frontier Railway
An average of 20 elephants die every year in India due to train collisions, per government data. West Bengal, home to about 2% of India's elephant population, has been struggling with railway accidents as a significant cause of unnatural elephant deaths. In 2019-21, 45 elephants were killed on railway tracks in India, government data showed. Of these, most incidents were registered under the Northeast Frontier Railway—which encompasses the Northeast, northern West Bengal, and some Bihar districts—followed by the Southern Railway.
Elephants lost habitat due to large-scale deforestation
In August 2023, a speeding train killed an elephant in Assam. In 2017, too, the Guwahati-Naharlagun Express killed six elephants, including a calf, in the state's Sonitpur district. Elephants reportedly lost their natural habitat in the region due to large-scale deforestation for the construction of villages, say reports. The habitats remained largely untouched until 2014, NDTV reported. The World Wildlife Fund said Assam's Sonitpur district alone lost 70% of its forest.
Asian elephants fall under 'endangered' category
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has declared the Asian elephants as "endangered." As per the Elephant Census 2017, there were around 29,964 wild Asian Elephants in India, around 60% of the global population of the species. Notably, Karnataka has the most number of elephants in the country followed by Assam and Kerala. Started in 1992, the Elephant Census is conducted every five years under Project Elephant. The initiative is aimed at protecting elephants and their habitats.
