GUWAHATI: An elephant was killed by a speeding train on the outskirts of Guwahati on Wednesday night as the railway tracks continue to be a deathtrap for the pachyderms in the state.
A female elephant was killed in a collision with an inter-city train in the Kurkuria area under Sonapur forest range of Kamrup district on Wednesday night. The train was going from Guwahati to Tinsukia in upper Assam. The elephant, which had been separated from its herd, was dragged on the tracks by the train. The railway track where the mishap occurred is close to the Amsang wildlife sanctuary. Forest officials said the elephant would be around seven years old.
With the Wednesday killing, the total death toll of elephants due to collision with speeding train has increased to four this...
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year. An elephant succumbed to injuries after being hit by a train at Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary in Jorhat district last month, while two elephants were knocked down to death in Karbi Anglong area on February and June. In May this year, an elephant was injured by a moving train in the Deepor Beel area, also in the outskirt of Guwahati.
Last year, five elephants were killed in collision with moving trains in different parts of the state, including three jumbo deaths in Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary alone.
In 2010, about seven elephants were knocked down to deaths by speeding trains in Karbi Anglong and Deepor Beel areas. The Wildlife Trust of India has identified at least 19 spots where railway tracks passes through elephant habitats. These spots have been declared sensitive.
According to Elephant Task Force (ETF), Assam tops with a 36 per cent of elephant casualties due to train-hits since 1987, followed by West Bengal with 26 per cent and Uttarakhand with 14 per cent.