An elephant was killed on the railway tracks after being hit by a train at Kottamutti, near Kanjikode, in the district on Friday.
The accident took place around 3.15 a.m. when Kanyakumari-Dibrugarh Vivek Express (15905) was passing through the ghat section along the Railway B-line between Walayar and Kanjikode. Railways officials say that the train was within the restricted speed of 45 kmph when the “sudden trespass of an elephant herd” took place.
The train hit the 20-year-old elephant and tossed the animal aside, leading to its death in a couple of hours. Palakkkad Divisional Forest Officer Sreenivas Kurra confirmed that the elephant had a one-year-old baby.
However, there were conflicting reports about an elephant calf also being hit along with the cow elephant. The loco pilot was reported to have seen a couple of calves by the side of the tracks where the accident took place. The blood stains found on the grass increased the suspicion that a calf too was injured.
Forest officials conducted a search for the “injured” calf, but could not find any. Mr. Kurra also ruled out the possibility of an injured calf vanishing into deep forests.
Although the train was delayed by 22 minutes, the Railways say that there is no traffic disruption. The train continued its journey after examining the tracks, the loco, and electrical installations.
Forest officials buried the elephant by the side of the tracks after a necropsy. Mr. Kurra says that it is the first elephant death on the tracks in Kerala side since 2019. However, over a dozen elephants have been mowed down by trains in the forest region adjoining Kerala border in recent years.
Divisional Railway Manager (Palakkad) Trilok Kothari says the Railway will continue its measures to prevent elephant-train accidents in association with the Forest department. “We are holding joint meetings every two months and continually trying to adopt all measures possible, including the latest technology, to prevent such accidents,” Mr. Kothari told The Hindu.
Some of the measures adopted by the Railways include clearing of vegetation on both sides of the tracks, installation of signage boards to warn loco pilots, strict implementation of speed restrictions (60 kmph during day time and 45 kmph at night), installation of hanging solar fencing, elephant ramps, LED lights, and audio alarms to scare away elephants, and installation of an artificial intelligence warning system.
The artificial intelligence warning system has been installed in the Tamil Nadu side. It will soon be installed soon in Kerala side as well, says Mr. Kurra.
