And We Still Call THEM Animals

September 27, 2010
The cries of three elephant calves and four adult elephants must have filled the lonely jungle stretch near the Moraghat railway crossing at Binnaguri in West Bengal on Wednesday night (22 Sep 2010), when  an Assam-bound goods train from Siliguri rammed into the herd mowing down all of them mercilessly. 

It is understood that two of the calves had got stuck in the tracks and the other adults were trying to help them out, when this incident occurred. It would have been a horrifying and scene when after the train hurled around these elephants with its high speed following which the mother elephant came charging towards the loco.  And instead of trying to save this elephant, the driver accelerated and killed her too, with large parts of her body clogged in the wheels of the train, driven by a man, went on, on the blood splattered rail tracks.  The train had to be reversed to unclog the flesh and bones of the mother elephant. 

poor baby elephant
What the Administration says :

Railways, however, maintained that the tragic incident happened because they did not get any advance information from forest officials about elephant movement in that particular section, which is not a notified elephant corridor.
While the forest ministry has the responsibility of notifying a particular stretch as an elephant corridor where loco pilots are given instructions to be extra vigilant, restrict train speed to maximum of 50 kmph and whistle constantly, railway officials claimed that the incident happened outside the notified elephant corridors.


Reactions:

If the elephants were outraged with the killing, the locals were also grieving the loss. It was a black day on Friday for those residing near the Gorumaara wildlife sanctuary and other adjoining areas. Sporting black badges, members of an ecological development committee, local tourists and various tourism-related organisations came together to offer their condolences to the dead animals at the Nature Interpretation Centre. Senior Forest officials were also present on the occasion.

People offering flowers to the dead elephant
It has come as a shock to the whole nation.  I wonder, how will that man driving the goods train be able to sleep for the nights to come.  Is it not pure insensitivity towards animals?  Elephants by nature are peaceful animals and so useful to man too.

I read in a website that a herd of elephants assembled at the same railways track the next day, at the same time, trumpeting and searching for the baby elephants.  And when they could not find them, the angry elephants went on a rampage, however no casualty has been reported. 

When we are so careful about our own children, why do we become feelingless for others - same species or different species?


RESTLESS

35 comments:

NeoTheHack said...

AS George Orwell says.... All Animals are equal....but some are more equal than others... Surely, Man is more equal than others...

Girish said...

So sad :(
I didn't know about it!
It didn't come in the news here!!
Just thinking about their cries before they died is giving me the chills!
How would the person who actually mowed them down be feeling, I wonder!
Such peaceful, loving animals shouldn't have had such a tragic end!!

kaliyukam said...

Very sad to see the picture

A Restless Mind With A Sensitive Heart! said...

Neo, well said.

Girish - yeah really sad.

Maha - I know, it's so bad.

RESTLESS

Aawaz said...

Cheer up Restless!
This is all I can comment! :)

NeoTheHack said...

But...ironically...on the same corridor in Bengal...thousands of tribals either get displaced or get killed by the state special police or the salwa judum for commercial gains. They dont get any mention anywhere including the biased media...

spare a thought for those people...when we dedicate so much space for animals...

Anu said...

Oh...that's such a sad story! Such a merciless killing! That driver should be banned from driving and his license should be confiscated! Atleast knowing that he has hit an animal, he could've saved the rest of them! Such a carnivore he is!

Rajesh said...

This is the worst thing that should have happened. No mercy should be shown to the driver.

Purba said...

I know...when I read the report I was appalled at the driver's carelessness.

He deserves to be punished!

Nalini Hebbar said...

WE have encroached into their territory but use power every time they encroach...this post has to reach the concerned persons and action has to be taken...coordination is the answer.

NeoTheHack said...

reading the comments aboove...i am surprised....! how can everyone blame the driver in the same voice..! what should be understood is that train is quite unlike a car...which one can stop in second by applying brake. it takes an effort to stop a running train. that too.. the train ultimately stops upon braking only after it has travelled a little distance.

NeoThaHack said...

...I'm not saying kill elephants and animals...but spare a thought for the driver too.. he is not doing it intentionally....

but all said and done.. i am appalled by the comments made by some people herein

A Restless Mind With A Sensitive Heart! said...

Niket - yup :)

Vaish - the anger is understandable, but why alone the driver, there are so many people responsible, everyone should be.

Rajesh - A little care could have saved the rest of elephants.

Purba - i was having tea, when I read this. I could not finish it. esp becoz of the pics...

RESTLESS

A Restless Mind With A Sensitive Heart! said...

Nalini - so rightly put.
Hope it reaches them.

Neo - I read all ur comments, will reply tomorrow.

RESTLESS

Stranger said...

so touching yaar....
God bless them!!!

kerala travel photos said...

The blame is to be given to the peoples concerned in both railways and forest departments. They together have to make the railway lines safe for animal life around. Elephant deaths due to trains is becoming a daily news here in south India.Authorities still blaming each other.

Gouri said...

Shocking and shameful incident! On one hand we run the 'save tiger campaign' and on the other all this happening..

PrometheusDeception said...

Talking about the Save Tiger Campaign, I would like to say, it is one of the biggest shams. In the name of saving the tiger, they talk about increasing the area of their habitation and so they push the villages who live on the fringe of the jungles, and ultimately, the land thus acquired is 'taken care' of by the corporate India. It should occur to all of us that why some corporates fund these save tiger campaign...It's a sinister design in the name of saving the animal.

A Restless Mind With A Sensitive Heart! said...

Stranger, True.

Kerala travel photos - that is so sad, wish people had some sensitivity towards animals.


gouri - Even a Project to save elephants is underway, so it has come as a jolt.

PrometheusDeception, Oh I didn't know that, such things also happen.

A Restless Mind With A Sensitive Heart! said...

Neo - sorry for the delayed reply.

First, good thought, but tribals are in news these days, but animals do get a lot of sympathy, no doubt.

Neo, trains take longer time to stop, but here driver had time to stop, but didnot as another adult elephant came charging towrds the train.

Yes again driver is the fall guy, although it is the fault of the whole system, u have a point, i also wrote about it in a comment.

Thanks for your comments and inputs!

RESTLESS

Anonymous said...

No the driver is not to be blamed. Actually there are other points too which had to be kept in mind...like the photo that you have uploaded itself says.. its a hilly terrain. And most of these accidents do happen at night.. i am sure 80% of them. and i am sure about this statistic. So in such terrains and such times, it is impossible to avoid an accident even if the driver think of saving an elephant

Reema said...

It was really heart wrenching to see the snaps :(

Divyanshu said...

had to comment on this...have been out of the light for quite some time....the reason being have been rediscovering myself............come to a conclusion that my passion lies with animals the ones who cant speak i will be a voice to them..this incident shook me off completely and me and our ngo protested against it..while even pleading jairam naresh to do something about it....

and its not just these poor creatures but also the pet dogs who are being ill treated so badly people buy pedigree dogs and treat them as breeding machines...humans still know how to resist how to fight...but where is the ground for these animals...such an hullabaloo for human rights?? where does animal rights stand? a person burnt an alive dog...no one said anything....in china they take out the skin while the animals are alive still there is no problem...but if its dhoni marrying sakshi its a breaking news...if its salmaan doing a new undies act its highlight of the day..... its the animal which always suffers......

Anonymous said...

@Divz... I appreciate your love for animals. even i love them, and have the sympathy for the dead ones... or the ones how gets poached here and there.. but i would like to throw light on something else...

Have you thought about the 237 boys who were shot to death in the last three months in Kashmir...?? that is almost 3-4 deaths a day...!!!!

also it's time we thought about the hundreds of people who died on the streets of delhi, becuase they were thrown out or is pushed out of rescue homes, because Shiela Dixit wanted a clean delhi which she can showcase to a handful of westerners..???
Well, my thought would defintely go for these people.

A Restless Mind With A Sensitive Heart! said...

Neo- about the previous comment. Don't you think the policy regarding having railway lines and roads through forest areas infringement in the very first place? and such accidents are mere indicators of what's happening?

Reema - I know dear :( .Read another article today, am very sad for them.

A Restless Mind With A Sensitive Heart! said...

Divz - Welcome back dear! Good to know u spent time with yourself and are feeling better now ( i can make out from ur tone, there is a purpose, big enough to captivate ur mind!)

Oh, so u supported some NGO? and u meant Jairam Ramesh, right?


Haha, definitely, there is a displaced sense of priority as far as news space is considered. Spice sells my dear, who's bothered about a lone creature?

btw, good to have u back!

A Restless Mind With A Sensitive Heart! said...

Neo - such things are not comparative,I mean the figures. The former is total greed and insensitivity and the latter a political crisis and insensitivity.

A common man can make a difference in the life of a stray dog or a dying animal. But Kashmir, what can u and I do??

So, let's use the awareness and the passion for some cause, we can really make some difference about.

will talk about blogging and change some time else, in detail.

RESTLESS

A Restless Mind With A Sensitive Heart! said...

Neo - such things are not comparative,I mean the figures. The former is total greed and insensitivity and the latter a political crisis and insensitivity.

A common man can make a difference in the life of a stray dog or a dying animal. But Kashmir, what can u and I do??

So, let's use the awareness and the passion for some cause, we can really make some difference about.

will talk about blogging and change some time else, in detail.

RESTLESS

A Restless Mind With A Sensitive Heart! said...

Neo - such things are not comparative,I mean the figures. The former is total greed and insensitivity and the latter a political crisis and insensitivity.

A common man can make a difference in the life of a stray dog or a dying animal. But Kashmir, what can u and I do??

So, let's use the awareness and the passion for some cause, we can really make some difference about.

will talk about blogging and change some time else, in detail.

RESTLESS

A Restless Mind With A Sensitive Heart! said...

Neo - such things are not comparative,I mean the figures. The former is total greed and insensitivity and the latter a political crisis and insensitivity.

A common man can make a difference in the life of a stray dog or a dying animal. But Kashmir, what can u and I do??

So, let's use the awareness and the passion for some cause, we can really make some difference about.

will talk about blogging and change some time else, in detail.

RESTLESS

A Restless Mind With A Sensitive Heart! said...

Neo - such things are not comparative,I mean the figures. The former is total greed and insensitivity and the latter a political crisis and insensitivity.

A common man can make a difference in the life of a stray dog or a dying animal. But Kashmir, what can u and I do??

So, let's use the awareness and the passion for some cause, we can really make some difference about.

will talk about blogging and change some time else, in detail.

RESTLESS

A Restless Mind With A Sensitive Heart! said...

Neo - such things are not comparative,I mean the figures. The former is total greed and insensitivity and the latter a political crisis and insensitivity.

A common man can make a difference in the life of a stray dog or a dying animal. But Kashmir, what can u and I do??

So, let's use the awareness and the passion for some cause, we can really make some difference about.

will talk about blogging and change some time else, in detail.

RESTLESS

Anonymous said...

ya.. may be... it is greed and insensitivity.. but how diffierent it is? why bracket a person who commits and error along with an act of criminal nature...?

and regarding the second thing, it is not politics.. it's purely attitude that is there when it comes to kashmir..? otherwise..why would these deaths happen? student protests and other protests happen everywhere in india..on a daily basis..? but when it comes to kashmir why do police (I say police here, and not Army) fire bullets when it is tear gas shells and water cannon for the rest of india...? the moment we hear people of kashmir.. we the rest of indians have an image.. and we stick with it.. that is the problem...?

that is why i compared this.. why are we not questioning the deaths of these boys... is it the fear of 'sedition' as arundathi roy has found out..? why is media highlighting only the elephant death when the lives of 340 boys are more important to the secular fabric and harmony of the country as a whole..? or is it just to divert the attention of the rest of india to the reality...?

...and i feel.. by oopening eyes theus, i can really make some differnece..

Anonymous said...

reagarding the policy of having railway lines through forest.. i dont agree with.. railway line is a main network that binds the nation together.. its the vein that carries the blood from the heart to all other parts of the body.

but if one has to question railway lines through forest, then i would be tempted to bring about my main cry.. the tribals.. so what about development in tribal areas..? is that too..wrong..? why would tata or posco or vedanta be given tribal land so that they could mine the wealth of hte country at the cost of the tribal life?

Anonymous said...

...and i think i bored you with so many issues which are perhaps irrelevant to your blog in particular... but i felt i should say it...

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