A tusker was killed after it was hit by a train at Kakanamane near Bage in Sakleshpur taluk on Sunday night. This is the second such incident in the last seven months. In the first, two elephant calves died near Yedakumari on June 3.
Locals of Kakanamane near Bage in Sakleshpur taluk spotted the elephant, about 20 years old, lying near the railway track. “The tusker was hit on its back. It had suffered internal haemorrhage, leading to its death,” said Sivaram Babu, Deputy Conservator of Forests. As the news of the incident spread, hundreds of people gathered on the spot.
The veterinarians conducted the post-mortem and later the carcass was burnt.
More than 40 elephants, separated in three-four herds, have been roaming in Alur and Sakleshpur taluks. Recently, people of both the taluks staged a seven-day dharna demanding a permanent solution to the elephant menace. The farmers are worried about damage caused to their crop by the herds, besides threat to human life.
The Forest Department has decided to book an accident case under the Code of Criminal Procedure against the loco-pilot after finding out the train which caused the accident and one more case under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. In the previous case too, the department had filed the case against the loco-pilot. “The case is ongoing. We will book another case this time,” the DCF said.
After the death of the calves in June, the Forest Department had meetings with Railway officials on how to avoid such incidents. “We suggested that Railway officials ensure trains minimise speed and horn frequently when crossing elephant area. Besides this, we have been sharing the information on the location of elephant herd movement with station masters of the Railway Department,” Mr. Babu said. This time, the accident occurred outside the Western Ghats.