05 February 2008
5 February 2008
(Coimbatore, India) - A herd of Asian elephants comprising three individuals - one adult pregnant female, an adult male around 30 years and a juvenile male around six years were hit and killed by a train in India in the early hours of Monday morning.
The badly mutilated body of the female elephant was found at the site in Tamil
Nadu along with an aborted male foetus, suggesting she was the first to be hit
while leading the herd. The train had not been carrying passengers at the time
of the crash.
According to B Ramakrishnan, Field Officer with the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), the international partner of IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare - www.ifaw.org), the herd had been leaving a forest reserve and crossing the railway tracks in order to reach crop fields. The Forest Department had spent the previous few days trying to drive the same herd back from nearby villages to the forest reserve.
Many old railway lines, often more than 100 years old, cannot be shifted outside protected areas. However WTI/IFAW believe there is no justification for building new railway lines in protected areas, in particular elephant habitat areas.
According to Dr Sandeep Tiwari, Manager Programmes at WTI, there have been 118 elephant deaths in India due to train hits since 1987. A programme of the Uttaranchal Forest Department and the Northern Railways in collaboration with the WTI/IFAW has been able to halt train accident deaths of elephants in Rajaji National Park. A similar project will be taken up soon in Assam where the problem is acute.
WTI/IFAW believes that train accident deaths of elephants can be minimised if not halted if the steps taken at other parks such as Rajaji are adapted to suit other locations.
Asian elephant populations have diminished over the years and there are currently fewer than 35,000 remaining in existence in the wild. Habitat loss, human encroachment and a booming trade in elephant ivory are the main causes for the decline and continued endangerment.
For media-related inquiries, contact:
According to B Ramakrishnan, Field Officer with the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), the international partner of IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare - www.ifaw.org), the herd had been leaving a forest reserve and crossing the railway tracks in order to reach crop fields. The Forest Department had spent the previous few days trying to drive the same herd back from nearby villages to the forest reserve.
Many old railway lines, often more than 100 years old, cannot be shifted outside protected areas. However WTI/IFAW believe there is no justification for building new railway lines in protected areas, in particular elephant habitat areas.
According to Dr Sandeep Tiwari, Manager Programmes at WTI, there have been 118 elephant deaths in India due to train hits since 1987. A programme of the Uttaranchal Forest Department and the Northern Railways in collaboration with the WTI/IFAW has been able to halt train accident deaths of elephants in Rajaji National Park. A similar project will be taken up soon in Assam where the problem is acute.
WTI/IFAW believes that train accident deaths of elephants can be minimised if not halted if the steps taken at other parks such as Rajaji are adapted to suit other locations.
Asian elephant populations have diminished over the years and there are currently fewer than 35,000 remaining in existence in the wild. Habitat loss, human encroachment and a booming trade in elephant ivory are the main causes for the decline and continued endangerment.
For media-related inquiries, contact:
Amanda Gent (IFAW UK)
Tel: 020 7587
6765
email: agent@ifaw.org
Monica Sood (WTI India)
monica@wti.org.in
Images
;)
These dead elephants are the most recent victims of inadequate wildlife corridors.
