Well timed motion by two loco pilots saved the lives of a dozen elephants together with calves in Palamu Tiger Reserve (PTR) in Jharkhand, officers mentioned on Saturday.
The Howrah-Jabalpur Shaktipunj Categorical was sure for West Bengal by a dense forest in PTR at a pace of round 70 kmph round 6 PM on Friday when instantly the locomotive pilots seen a herd of elephants crossing the tracks between Chipadohar and Hehegara railway stations, they mentioned.
“Loco pilot A K Vidyarthi and I swiftly pulled the emergency brake and the train stopped around 60 metres from the herd,” Rajnikant Choubey, assistant loco pilot, instructed information company PTI.
“We felt a sense of satisfaction after saving the lives of at least 12 elephants,” he added.
Choubey mentioned there was no pace restrict on the stretch the place the incident occurred however the pace restrict after the ‘caution line’, which was 500 metres away, was 25 kmph.
The present double-line passes by an 11-km stretch between Chhipadohar and Hehegara within the core space of the reserve, a PTR official mentioned.
Unfold over 1,129.93 sq km space, the reserve homes 47 species of mammals and 174 species of birds. There are round 250 elephants within the reserve.
PTR area director Kumar Ashutosh mentioned, “We thank the loco pilots for saving the lives of 12 elephants.” He mentioned frequent motion of trains by the dense forest causes risk to wildlife within the reserve.
“Several elephants were killed in this section in the past. I would urge other loco pilots to remain cautious like Choubey and Vidyarthi,” he added.
