Tusker dies trying to cross rail barricade in Bandipur

Bandipur: A tusker aged around 15 years died while trying to climb and cross the rail barricade installed along the forest boundary in the Moleyur range of the Bandipur Tiger Reserve.

The incident took place on Tuesday morning and the elephant was returning to the forest when it tried to cross the rail barricade but died in the process.

“Based on the preliminary observation it is suspected that the elephant may have stood on the lower railing in its efforts to cross over to the other side and slipped. In the process the elephant may have landed on the parallel beam and suffered a compression in the chest given its huge body and heavy weight’’, said SR Natesh, Director, Bandipur Tiger Reserve.

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Natesh added that when the elephant slipped from the railing, the lower portion between its chest and underbelly took the hit and suffered compression resulting in its suffocation. There was no other physical injury which reinforces the speculation that the tusker suffocated.

This is the second incidence of an elephant suffocating to death trying to cross the rail barricade, the earlier being in Nagarahole two years ago.

The State government has taken up barricading of forest boundaries using rail tracks in a bid to prevent elephants from straying into human landscape and to minimise the conflict situation.

But the barricade design has come under flak from wildlife activists and experts. They want the height of the barricade to be increased so that it acts as a restriction to the elephants from trying to cross over. 

• Bandipur
• Nagarahole
• Karnataka
• Elpehant
• Tusker
• Wildlife