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Kerala: Speeding train kills wild elephant in Palakkad
The deceased jumbo was around 20 years old, forest officials said, adding that they searched nearby areas to find out whether more elephants were injured
In yet another such incident this week, a female elephant was killed after being hit by a train, this time in Kerala, when the Kanyakumari-Dibrugarh Vivek Express rammed into the animals near Kanjikkode in Palakkad district along the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border in the early hours of Friday, forest officials said.
The deceased jumbo was around 20 years old, they said, adding that they searched nearby areas to find out whether more elephants were injured. Locals said the female elephant and its calf were camping in the area for quite some time, and they suspect the herd took away the baby elephant. The train reportedly continued its journey and local pilots informed nearby stations about the mishap.
“The area has a speed restriction of 40-45 km per hour due to wildlife activity. 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 AK Saseendran has also sought a report from them.
Also Read:Assam: Train rams into elephant herd in Jorhat; mother, calf succumb to injuries
The stretch of the Walayar reserve forest between Kanjikode and Walayar stations is notorious for animal crossing and more than 25 elephants have died here in past three decades. Mishaps occur frequently though the railways fenced vulnerable spots along the stretch and decreased the speed limit of trains.
The busy railway line connects Kerala with Tamil Nadu and speed restrictions have had little impact on elephant fatalities, the latest incident shows. Locals said many trains fail to meet speed restrictions at night.
Earlier, the Railways turned down a request to decongest the stretch and divert some trains through the Palakkad-Pollachi-Coimbatore route, stating that it will be too circuitous.
