I write this
with regard to the tragic event that occurred on the 23rd of
September in the Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal, where a goods train claimed the lives of seven Elephants. Is that how the Indian Railways respects its mascot
species, the Asian elephant? The statistics reveal that over the past two
decades, nearly 90% of the deaths (of the 110 train hit deaths) have been
recorded from the states of Assam West Bengal , Uttarakhand and Jharkhand. Such inhumane insensitive acts involving utter disregard
for other forms of life by the Indian railways don’t call for the Asian
elephants to be their mascot!
A few mitigation measures such as
driving cautiously, patrolling in crucial section, training and awareness
generation for train drivers, improving visibility in blind turns, leveling of
steep embankments, clearing vegetation in blind turns to clear visibility,
blaring of horns in the wildlife zones, by the railways can help to save the
wildlife. A very successful example is of the Rajaji National park, Uttarakhand
(National Train Hits Project, a Wildlife Trust of India and International Fund
for Animal Welfare joint venture), where elephant mortality was successfully
prevented due to train accidents, by adopting similar strategies.
I have
been to several national parks and Wildlife sanctuaries, and have had wonderful
experiences with the jumbos (see future posts).
The
animals we have lost will never be back, we can only hope and pray that the Ministry of
Environment and Forests takes necessary initiatives with the proactive
support of the Indian Railways, so that no such horrific death ever occurs in
the future.
