Wildlife experts note that train-elephant collisions often occur when herds migrate between fragmented forest areas, with railway lines cutting across traditional movement routes
Digital Desk: A calf of a wild elephant that died due to severe injuries in a tragic train crash that killed seven elephants in the Nagaon district of Assam, the officials confirmed on 21st December . The calf was only estimated to be between 2 to 3 days old, but it died within the wildlife rescue and rehabilitation centre in Panbari, Bokakhat despite continuous emergency medical care by veterinary teams.
The accident occurred at around 7:30 am on 20th December , when a passenger train struck a herd of elephants as they were crossing the railway tracks between Jamunamukh and Kampur in the Lumding division of the Northeast Frontier Railway. The The calf was also hurt seriously in the lungs and its leg was broken, as it was with the mother during the impact. The animal according to veterinarians could not stand or walk since the day the incident occurred and its condition was still critical when it died.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed deep sorrow over the loss of the elephants and directed the Forest Department to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident. By underlining the seriousness of the situation, he noted that there must be enhanced protection along the wildlife corridors, especially in places where the visibility is low and thus risks of such accidents are high.
The accident site, located approximately 126 kilometres from Guwahati, lies along a known elephant movement corridor where herds frequently cross railway tracks. Conservation groups have long identified this stretch as a high-risk zone and have repeatedly called for strict speed limits, improved monitoring, and enhanced surveillance systems to prevent such tragedies.
Wildlife analysts state that the train-jam collision of the elephants usually takes place when the herds come to move between the disjuncture forests, where the lines of the railways pass through the paths of their traditional movements.
These deaths have also presented people with a renewed focus on the increasing tension between expanding rail infrastructure and the efforts of conserving the elephants in the area, which leaves the point that the only solution is urgent and prolonged preventive measures.
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