Sri Lanka train kills elephant despite new safety moves

Colombo: A Sri Lankan express train killed an elephant and was derailed on Tuesday, despite safety measures introduced after the country s worst wildl...

Colombo: A Sri Lankan express train killed an elephant and was derailed on Tuesday, despite safety measures introduced after the country's worst wildlife railway accident three months ago on the same route. Local officials said the young wild elephant crossing the track near Habarana was run over by the same train involved in the February 20 accident that killed seven elephants. After that crash, officials imposed speed limits on trains passing through elephant habitats. No passengers were injured in the accident, which occurred some 180 kilometres (110 miles) by road east of the capital Colombo.

Railway authorities said an investigation was underway, and engineers were trying to put the Colombo-Batticaloa train back on the track after the pre-dawn smash. The authorities had earlier announced changes to train timetables and efforts to clear shrubs from either side of the track to improve visibility for drivers, to give them more time to avoid hitting elephants. Wildlife officials have said that 139 elephants have been killed by trains over the past 17 years, since authorities began collecting such data. The government has also announced that 1,195 people and 3,484 elephants have been killed in the past decade due to the worsening human-elephant conflict on the island. Killing or harming elephants is a criminal offence in Sri Lanka, which has an estimated 7,000 wild elephants -- considered a national treasure, partly due to their significance in Buddhist culture. However, the killings continue, as desperate farmers struggle with elephants raiding their crops and destroying livelihoods.

Many elephants have been electrocuted, shot, or poisoned. Sometimes, explosive-laden fruits are used to maim the animals, often resulting in painful deaths.