The New Indian Express ·
Rail engine rams into herd crossing tracks, tusker dies in Odisha
BERHAMPUR: A tusker was killed after being hit by a rail engine near Burundabadi under Bissam Cuttack block of Rayagada district in the early hours of Thursday.
The elephant’s carcass was found around three metres away from the railway track on a sloping stretch. It was reportedly hit by a banker light engine.
Sources said a herd of four elephants had been moving in Bhatpur-Burundabadi area after entering Bissam Cuttack from Kalahandi district. The herd was reportedly crossing the Bissam Cuttack-Therubali railway line when the light engine operating on the route rammed into the elephants.
The tusker was killed in the impact, while others managed to escape and reportedly moved towards the nearby forest. The incident came to light after railway personnel found the carcass and alerted the Forest department.
On being informed, Muniguda ranger Praveen Kumar Das, forester Pramodini Mandangi and a team of forest personnel rushed to the spot. A veterinary team also reached the mishap site to examine the carcass.
The Forest department has launched an investigation to ascertain the circumstances leading to the elephant’s death and determine how the herd came onto the railway track. Officials were also making arrangements for the postmortem.
Forest officials said the exact cause of death and the nature of the injuries sustained by the tusker would be established after the postmortem. The incident is also likely to be examined from the perspective of elephant movement and railway safety protocols in the area.
The incident has once again highlighted the vulnerability of elephants moving through forest corridors intersected by railway lines. The presence of a herd in Bhatpur-Burundabadi area and its movement across the railway track late at night have raised concerns over the need for closer monitoring of elephant movement along the route.
Forest officials said a close watch is being kept on the area to track the movement of the remaining elephants and prevent any further untoward incident.
