The death of at least seven wild Asiatic elephants and injury to a calf in a rail accident near Guwahati, Assam, has brought the focus back to the human-elephant conflict. The Rajdhani Express from Sairang in Mizoram to New Delhi was rolling at full speed when the loco driver apparently spotted the herd of 100 elephants and hit the emergency brakes, but the train still hit and killed some. The accident site, it must be pointed out, is not a designated elephant corridor or among India’s nearly 150 wildlife corridors that pass through animal habitats where loco drivers have been instructed to reduce speed to prevent collisions. Yet, the tragedy is no less significant.

Most elephant deaths occur due to electrocutions, and a total of 528........

© Free Press Journal