ANANYA DUTTA
An elephant was run over by a passenger train in broad daylight in the Buxa Tiger Reserve on Tuesday morning, according to officials of the State’s Forest Department.
The incident occurred at about 7.30 a.m. The elephant was crossing the track when the Sampark Kranti Express rammed into the animal, pushing it for about 200 metres before coming to a halt, R.P. Saini, the Field Director of the Buxa Tiger Reserve, told The Hindu over telephone.
Although the incident occurred in an area where speed restrictions are imposed on trains to prevent such occurrences, the restrictions are only imposed in the evening hours when drivers cannot see if any herds are crossing the tracks, he said.
“The driver claims that in this incident, the elephant suddenly appeared and he could not apply the brakes in time, but eye witnesses have said that it [the train] was hurtling down the tracks quite fast,” Mr. Saini said.
It was unusual on one count — a single male elephant crossing the tracks. Usually, herds move across together and can be spotted from afar, he added. But when elephants cross in groups, the tragedy can be much worse, as the one that occurred in January when a train crashed into five elephants before coming to a halt. In September 2010, a train had run down seven elephants. Mr. Saini said that he would request the Railway authorities to impose speed restrictions throughout the day. The gravity of the situation is evident in the fact that 11 elephants have been run over by trains since October last year, he said.
Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/elephant-run-down-by-train-in-buxa-tiger-reserve/article4480318.ece
An elephant was run over by a passenger train in broad daylight in the Buxa Tiger Reserve on Tuesday morning, according to officials of the State’s Forest Department.
The incident occurred at about 7.30 a.m. The elephant was crossing the track when the Sampark Kranti Express rammed into the animal, pushing it for about 200 metres before coming to a halt, R.P. Saini, the Field Director of the Buxa Tiger Reserve, told The Hindu over telephone.
Although the incident occurred in an area where speed restrictions are imposed on trains to prevent such occurrences, the restrictions are only imposed in the evening hours when drivers cannot see if any herds are crossing the tracks, he said.
“The driver claims that in this incident, the elephant suddenly appeared and he could not apply the brakes in time, but eye witnesses have said that it [the train] was hurtling down the tracks quite fast,” Mr. Saini said.
It was unusual on one count — a single male elephant crossing the tracks. Usually, herds move across together and can be spotted from afar, he added. But when elephants cross in groups, the tragedy can be much worse, as the one that occurred in January when a train crashed into five elephants before coming to a halt. In September 2010, a train had run down seven elephants. Mr. Saini said that he would request the Railway authorities to impose speed restrictions throughout the day. The gravity of the situation is evident in the fact that 11 elephants have been run over by trains since October last year, he said.
Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/elephant-run-down-by-train-in-buxa-tiger-reserve/article4480318.ece
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