Elephants are being killed every day all over India due to a variety of reasons. For example, in Rajaji National Park in India, 9 elephants, out of a population of about 180, have been killed by train accidents in the recent past. One adult bull was seriously injured and a calf was orphaned.

Mallika (a 35-year-old female) seen here feeding with her 4 year old juvenile daughter, was killed in a train accident exactly a year later.

Mallika had given birth to a healthy and playful calf shortly after this picture was taken and the calf was 11 months old when all the three of them were killed by a speeding train. She was also the matriach of the group. When a train accident occurs, sometimes the matriarch gets killed, and this is an irreplaceable loss. The matriarch is a repository of traditional knowledge -- knowing where to go during times of drought (which may occur once in 20-25 years) in search of food and water. The younger females may not have this knowledge as they might not have experienced a drought since they were born.

Anand (35-year-old adult bull) standing on the railway track.

Visibility, late at night and early in the morning --as in the picture featuring Anand -- is limited to less than 80 meters; and the express trains take up to 130 meters to come to a halt. Thus shifting the rail track is the only way to prevent accidents in the future. For the moment steps are being taken to slow down the speed at which the trains run, thus making the braking distance shorter. In Phase 2 of the Habitat Program, we would like to lead a campaign to raise the money required to reroute the track outside the elephant habitat. Elephants have also been killed in the last two years in other elephant areas due to train accidents and being electrocuted due to low hanging power.

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