Seven pachyderms killed in Bengal rail tragedy

Seven elephants were killed and one injured after being hit by a speeding goods train near Binnaguri in Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal, the local forest department said.

While details were patchy, it appears that five adults were killed and one injured while the group was trying to 'rescue' two young ones that had already been hurt earlier. State officials said five died instantly and two others succumbed to their injuries later. Another elephant was wounded but survived.

The baby elephants became trapped on the track at Moraghat Tea Garden, near Binnaguri in the Jalpaiguri district. The others wandered onto the line in an attempt to free them.

The track, which connects New Jalpaiguri to Assam, was closed down for several hours after the collision, as other elephants were guarding the dead and injured animals.

Forest officials say that speeding trains regularly hit elephants in the area as the track crosses the elephants' known route. They say they have asked railway officials to reduce the speed limit in the area to prevent such incidents reoccurring.
Trains have killed 118 elephants in India since 1987, according to the Wildlife Trust of India.

The Indian elephant, as endangered as the tiger but far more intelligent, has not received the same kind of attention, according to environmentalists.

Such group behaviour is hardly rare, where the surviving members try to help their fallen comrades. Also unlike its carefully protected African cousin, the Indian species can be trained to do human tasks, and is a famous symbol of the subcontinent.

But to paraphrase Jim Corbett, Indian politicians don't care about elephants – they don't have votes.