Elephant killed by train in Uttarakhand’s Tanda forests

The incident happened near Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP) close to the Nagla bypass at around 2 am, according to forest officials.

A four-year-old female elephant died after being hit by a locomotive on the Lalkuan-Bareilly track on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, according to forest officials.

The incident happened near Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants close to the Nagla bypass around 2 am, according to forest officials. (HT Photo)

Loco pilot Rajesh Kumar and assistant Uday Kumar had taken train’s engine from Lalkuaon to Pantnagar at about 2 am, when they saw the pachyderm near Central institute of medicinal and aromatic plants (CIMAP) close to the Nagla bypass, forest officials said.

Despite hitting the brakes, the locomotive, in full speed, hit the elephant, they said.

In the morning, local women saw the elephant’s carcass and informed villagers, who in turn alerted forest officials.

Kalyani Negi, divisional forest officer, Tarai Central, said veterinary doctors are being rushed to the spot for an autopsy of the elephant and other procedures.

B S Mehta, Tanda range officer, said, “The elephant calf might have come to the area in search of fodder.”

This is the third incident this year in which four pachyderms have been killed by trains in Tanda forest range.

In March, a six-year-old elephant was killed at the same place of the Sunday accident. Two elephant calves were killed in April near Haldi railway station on Lalkuan-Rudrapur track after being hit by Ranikhet Express.