A wild elephant was killed after being hit by the Kanyakumari-Dibrugarh Vivek Express near Kanjikode in Palakkad district along Kerala-Tamil Nadu border in the early hours of Friday, forest officials said.
They said that the female jumbo was around 20-year-old. The forest officials said that they searched nearby areas to find out if more elephants were injured. After the accident, the train continued its journey and loco pilots informed nearby stations about the mishap. A local resident who did not want to be named said that the elephant and its calf had been camping in the area for quite some time.
“The area has a speed restriction of 40-45 km per hour due to wildlife crossing. We will summon the loco pilot and record his statement. We will also examine the speed of the train when the mishap occurred,” said a senior official of the forest department. State forest minister A K Saseendran has also sought a report from forest officials.
The stretch of the Walayar reserve forest between Kanjikode and Walayar stations is notorious for animal crossing and in last three decades more than 25 elephants have died here. Though the railways fenced vulnerable spots along the stretch and decreased the speed limit of trains, mishaps still occur frequently. The busy railway line connects Kerala with Tamil Nadu and speed restrictions have had little impact on elephant fatalities, latest incident shows. Local people said during nights many trains fail to meet speed restrictions.
{{/usCountry}}The stretch of the Walayar reserve forest between Kanjikode and Walayar stations is notorious for animal crossing and in last three decades more than 25 elephants have died here. Though the railways fenced vulnerable spots along the stretch and decreased the speed limit of trains, mishaps still occur frequently. The busy railway line connects Kerala with Tamil Nadu and speed restrictions have had little impact on elephant fatalities, latest incident shows. Local people said during nights many trains fail to meet speed restrictions.
{{/usCountry}}In April three judges from the Tamil Nadu high court had inspected the railway tracks passing through Madhukarai forest range while hearing a petition filed by wildlife activists. Earlier the railways had turned down a request to decongest the stretch and divert some trains through Palakkad-Pollachi-Coimbatore route saying it will be too circuitous.