Roy, Mukti and Sukumar, Raman (2017) Railways and Wildlife: A Case Study of Train-Elephant Collisions in Northern West Bengal, India. [Book Chapter]
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Abstract
The extensive network of the Indian Railways cuts through several forested landscapes, resulting in collisions of trains with a variety of wildlife species, including the largest land mammal-the elephant. In India, railway lines cross elephant habitats in several states, with accidents that resulted in more than 200 elephant deaths between 1987 and 2015. As the 161-km Siliguri-Alipurduar track in the northern West Bengal state witnesses train-elephant collisions frequently, we developed a case study there with the objectives of mapping locations of collisions and generating a susceptibility map showing locations prone to accidents. We mapped elephant crossing points and movement paths along this railway track, as well as accident locations. Between 1974 and 2015, collisions occurred throughout the line, although there were several hotspots where elephant deaths were concentrated. A disproportionate number of accidents occurred during the night. Crop raiding in villages and train elephant accidents seem to be closely related, probably due to an increased frequency of elephant movement near or across this railway track during the cultivation season. Male elephants were much more prone to accidents, possibly because of behavioural characteristics that make them cross railway tracks more frequently. To reduce the frequency of accidents in this region, we recommend reducing the speed of trains, limiting the operation of trains during at night, provisioning overpasses and underpasses, using communications technology, realigning a portion of the track, and fencing the track except for corridor areas.
| Item Type: | Book Chapter |
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| Publisher: | Springer International Publishing |
| Additional Information: | The Copyright of this article belongs to the Authors |
| Keywords: | Accident susceptibility map; Crop raiding; Elephant deaths; Northern West Bengal; Train elephant accidents |
| Department/Centre: | Division of Biological Sciences > Centre for Ecological Sciences |
| Date Deposited: | 27 May 2022 04:33 |
| Last Modified: | 27 May 2022 04:33 |
| URI: | https://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/72595 |
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