No More Blood on the Tracks: Urge Ministry to Change Trains for Tuskers

On 20 April, a speeding train hit an adult elephant as she was crossing the tracks in Assam's Dhansiri reserve forest. Thrown off a ridge into a mud pit 30 feet below, the severely injured elephant cried out in agony for four days before forest department officials were dispatched in an attempt to rescue her.

This tragedy is the latest in a long line of sad and distressing incidents in which elephants have been injured or killed by trains. In January, a baby elephant was hit by a train, dragged 900 metres and torn into pieces near the Shikari train crossing in Rajabhatkhawa. Three elephants, including a pregnant female, were crushed by a train in Coimbatore in February. According to a report in The Telegraph, since 2004, 10 elephants have died after being hit by trains on the Alipurduar Junction-Siliguri line.

Elephants – who are sensitive, altruistic, family-oriented animals – migrate long distances in search of food. The matriarchs who lead herds follow traditional migration routes, which often have been used for centuries. The presence of railways in protected areas around the country has caused the violent deaths of wild elephants, but no suitable steps are being taken to protect these animals.

You can help these magnificent animals: ask the Ministry of Railways to stop the needless killing of elephants on railway tracks. Urge the Minister to stop running trains through elephant territories.