Wild elephant hit by speeding train in Tripura succumbs to injuries

A 35-year-old wild elephant, critically injured by a speeding train in Tripura’s Khowai district, succumbed to its injuries late Monday night, officials said on Tuesday.

Despite the best efforts of doctors from the state veterinary hospital, the animal could not be saved. “The jumbo succumbed to its injuries late Monday night, despite intensive medical care,” a senior forest official confirmed.

On Tuesday, three veterinary doctors, in the presence of forest and wildlife officials, conducted a postmortem before the elephant was buried.

The Tripura Forest Department filed an FIR with the Government Railway Police in Teliamura and lodged a formal complaint with the Northeast Frontier Railway’s Divisional Manager in Lumding.

The department accused the railway authorities of negligence, stating that the train was traveling at an estimated speed of 50 km/h -- far exceeding the 20 km/h limit designated for elephant corridors in the area.

The incident occurred Saturday night when a local train traveling from Agartala to Dharmanagar struck the elephant in the Shalbagan area under the Teliamura Forest Division.

Both of the elephant's hind legs were fractured, leaving it immobile. Forest officials arranged for medical treatment from Sunday, but the injuries proved fatal.

This is not the first such incident. A similar tragedy occurred in February when another elephant was killed by a train in the same designated corridor. Forest officials emphasized that Saturday’s incident could have been prevented if the train adhered to the stipulated speed limit.

Wildlife experts expressed alarm over such recurring incidents. Elephants are classified as Schedule-I animals under the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act 2022, recognizing them as endangered species deserving the highest level of protection. As India’s National Heritage Animal, they command both respect and conservation priority.

Experts advocate for stronger safety measures in designated elephant corridors. This includes mapping out critical routes and collaborating with stakeholders such as the Railways, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), district administrations, and state public works departments.

“These measures are essential to prevent such tragedies and ensure the coexistence of infrastructure and wildlife,” one expert emphasized.