Elephants Killed As Train Slams Into Herd

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 14 November 2013 | 23.31

A train has crashed into a herd of elephants as they lumbered across tracks in India, killing seven animals and seriously injuring another 10.

The crash, described as the worst of its kind in recent memory by one government minister, happened at dusk in Chapramari Forest, a vast wildlife sanctuary in the eastern West Bengal region.

The train was travelling at 50mph (80kph) when it struck the herd of about 40 elephants.

The animals scattered but later returned to the scene of the crash, before being driven off the tracks by forest guards and train staff.

Pictures taken at the scene showed the carcass of one animal hanging from a bridge.

Two calves were among the elephants killed.

Hiten Burman, the forestry minister in West Bengal, said railway authorities had ignored requests from his department to reduce the speed of trains in Jalpaiguri district, which is home to a number of elephant herds.

Animesh Basu, a wildlife activist and co-ordinator of the Himalayan Nature and Adventure Foundation, said at least 50 elephants had been killed by trains in West Bengal since 2004.

He blamed unrestricted train movements for the latest accident.

"It's an irony that elephants are being killed by speeding trains in north Bengal at regular intervals, even though it's been declared as the heritage animal in India and an elephant cub is the mascot of Indian Railways," Mr Basu added.

There are approximately 27,000 elephants left in the wild in India, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

The charity said about 40 animals are killed each year, with habitat loss among the biggest threats to their survival.


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