Jalpaiguri (West Bengal): Seven wild elephants were mowed to death on Wednesday night, after being hit by a Guwahati-bound goods train in Jalpaiguri district in West Bengal. The tragic incident that marks the highest number of elephants killed in a single train accident, once again highlights the propensity of this threat in the country.

The accident occurred about 1.5 km from Banerhat station in Jalpaiguri district. The seven elephants killed included two calves, a sub-adult, two adult females and a tusker.

More than 160 elephants have been killed in train accidents in India since 1987. The state of West Bengal accounts for about 26% of the total, second only to Assam which accounts for 36%.

“The threat is severe but it is not something that cannot be solved. It needs a joint approach from various stakeholders including NGOs, Forest Department and the Railways. We have seen successful intervention in Rajaji National Park in Uttarakhand and are working to replicate this achievement in other parts of India. In Assam, for example, implementation of mitigation measures have been initiated and have successfully averted several instances of such accidents,” said Dr Anil Kumar Singh, Head of Conflict Mitigation Division of the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI).

In Rajaji NP, zero elephant deaths due to train hits have been reported since 2002, when catalysed by WTI, the state Forest Department and Northern Railways joined hands to save the elephants. An extensive study by WTI identified the critical accident-prone stretches within the track, evaluated causes of accidents and recommended simple but effective mitigation measures which were successfully implemented.

“There are many reasons for these accidents. Even in Rajaji, we found so many factors into play. And obviously every region is different and will have to be carefully studied to identify causes of these accidents to devise effective mitigation measures,” added Dr Singh.

Supported by the Ministry of Environment & Forests, Government of India and Elephant Family – a prominent UK based organisation that works for the conservation and welfare of Asian elephants, WTI has been currently working in a number of Indian states to replicate the Rajaji success. Based on site surveys, recommended mitigation measures are currently being implemented in Assam, Dudhwa National Park in Uttar Pradesh, Rajaji NP and Palakkad area in the south Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The initiative in Dudhwa NP is supported by the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

WTI has also recently completed the field survey in Jharkhand and has approached the West Bengal authorities to carry out an extensive survey to help develop train-hit mitigation strategies in the state.

Learn more about National Train Hit Mitigation Project