Timely Action By Loco Pilots Save Herd Of 12 Elephants In Jharkhand, Receives Appreciation

In a positive piece of news, two locomotive pilots were able to act on their presence of mind and save a herd of elephants from a possible mishap. The alertness shown by the loco pilots to evade the accident has now become an incident that restores a sense of hope and responsibility.

The railway crossings through dense regions have been known for many killer train accidents to which the forests lost much of their wildlife. In the year 2019 alone, train accidents killed about 3,479 animals, and the railways witnessed 31 animal deaths per day for at least four years.

It's a situation that is hard to avoid, but the government has actively attempted to make efforts to avoid such accidents by fencing many areas and introducing buzzing bee sounds to scare away the animals. However, it still remains an issue in many dense forest regions.

Cautiousness That Deserve All The Appreciation

Loco pilot A K Vidyarthi and assistant pilot Rajnikant Choubey were bound for West Bengal on the Howrah-Jabalpur Shaktipunj Express on August 26. Moving at a speed of around 70 kmph through the dense expanse of forests of the Palamu Tiger Reserve (PTR) in Jharkhand, the pilots made sure to keep an eye on the stray animals. It was a lot more necessary to be alert as they were navigating in the evening.

On having noticed a herd of twelve elephants crossing the tracks between Chipadohar and Hehegara railway stations, they swiftly acted on it and pulled the emergency brakes. They were able to stop the train around 60 metres away from the herd, reported The Telegraph.

Choubey also said that both the pilots had felt a deep sense of satisfaction after having saved the lives of at least 12 elephants. The dozen of elephants also included a bunch of calves, as reported by the officials. Spread over an area of 1,129.93 sq km, PTR houses 47 species of mammals, including 250 elephants, and about 174 species of birds.

Speed Limit In The Area

The stretch does not have a speed limit as such, but there was a speed limit of 25 kmph after the 'caution line' where the incident had happened. The existing double-line is said to pass through an 11-km stretch between Chhipadohar and Hehegara in the core area of the reserve, reported a PTR official.

The PTR field director Kumar Ashutosh also conveyed his gratitude to the loco pilots for saving the lives of the elephants and urged other loco pilots to "remain cautious like Choubey and Vidyarthi".

Also Read: Train Kills Elephant Trying To Cross The Tracks In West Bengal's Dooars