C B Singh Rayagada

A male elephant was killed by a train near Brundabadi village in Rayagada district’s Bissam Cuttack block on September 9 night. The incident has raised serious questions about how effectively the Forest department tracks elephant movements and communicates alerts to the railway system.

Forest officials are investigating the elephant’s death and performing a standard post-mortem examination. Meanwhile, serious questions have been raised about whether the elephant’s presence on the railway tracks was detected and reported to train authorities in time.

The local station master said a light engine passed through the area at around 10.45 pm with no prior elephant movement warnings from the Forest department. This lack of communication raises a critical question: Was there any advance indication that an elephant was approaching the tracks? Railway tracks near elephant habitats are high-risk zones where preventing collisions requires constant field surveillance, identifying vulnerable areas, and quick coordination between forest and railway officials.

The Forest department’s press release omits whether the Brundabadi stretch was a known elephant corridor, if recent movements were recorded, or if railway authorities received warnings before the train passed. It is unclear if the department monitored night-time elephant movements along the track or if forest staff routinely alerted railway authorities. Advance warning is critical, as train crews have almost no time to react to animals on the tracks at night.