Tragedy on the Tracks: Protecting Elephants in Bengal's Corridors

In a tragic incident near Banstala railway station in West Bengal, an express train ran over three elephants, two of which were calves, on Thursday night, according to local police.

The elephants, part of a herd believed to have come from Jharkhand's Dalma forest, were struck by the speeding Janshatabdi Express on the Kharagpur-Tatanagar section, making it difficult for officials to approach as other elephants were also in the vicinity.

Despite prior alerts to the Railways, the accident could not be prevented, leading to calls for improved coordination and consideration of additional sanctuaries to safeguard wildlife in these corridors.

(With inputs from agencies.)