WWF’s alarm over animal deaths on tracks

Ironically, the mascot of the Indian Railways Bholu, is also an elephant. “In two separate incidents in Assam, three elephants including two pregnant elephants and a juvenile has died at Hojai on December 4 and another died after being hit by a train in Goalpara district of the state. On December 5, a fouryear-old tiger was killed after being hit by a train at Satna district in Madhya Pradesh,” statement issued by the World Wildlife Fund said here on Friday. The WWF has also urged the Ministry of Railways to look into the matter immediately as more than 200 elephants have been killed due to train hits in last one month. 

Calling it a matter of concern, the NGO said, “such incidents have also increased after conversion of the tracks from meter gauge to broad gauge. Since this shift, there are far more passenger and freight trains covering more than 1500km of railway tracks which pass through some of the country’s most sensitive wildlife habitats, including protected areas and wildlife corridors. While the up-gradation of railway infrastructure is needed and measures need to be taken to reduce its adverse impacts on forests and wildlife.” 

The WWF said, “concrete steps need to be enforced to reduce incidents of train-hits. Railways, Forest Department and District Administration need to take up joint efforts including patrolling to monitor elephant movement near railway tracks, regular coordination meetings and the need to put in a system where near-real time information can be fed into the train movement system to warn locomotive drivers of probable elephant crossings.” “Speed limitations need to be put in places where railway tracks move through wildlife habitats. Most importantly, locomotive drivers need to strictly adhere to speed limits when passing through stretches where elephants cross railway tracks. Implementation of focussed long-term awareness programme for railway staff in wildlife areas are crucial in addressing this issue,” it said.