Viral video of elephants struggling to cross tracks prompts swift action; concrete wall is down [watch]

Wildlife corridors are the need of the hour. More so after a recent viral video that showed an elephant herd struggling to cross a railway track in Nilgiris, posing grave danger to their lives. The distressing video went viral on social media after Principal Secretary (Environment) Supriya Sahu shared it on Twitter.

The video showed at least nine elephants navigating their way through a railway track and then being blocked by a concrete wall, only to take another detour. Luckily, there were no oncoming trains while the herd was crossing over, but the nail-biting moment showed just how dangerous it is for migrating wild animals due to disruptive infrastructure.

Sahu tagged the Ministry of Railways in her post, which read: "Distressing to see that this herd of elephants had to negotiate their way through danger filled railway track. Need to have a mandatory SOP for all infra agencies towards sensitive wildlife friendly design & execution." The video garnered over 85,000 views and was further shared by many verified accounts.

Prompt action after backlash

Speaking further on the issue, Sahu told TNIE: "We are working with Railways in facilitating a pathway for elephants. In the video, we were able to see that the herd got puzzled once it saw the wall close to the track at the Hillgrove station. We would have suggested leaving a gap or pathway in the wall for elephants to cross had officials consulted us before building the wall."

A day after the original video was shared, Sahu shared another video, which showed a JCB demolishing the concrete wall to make pathway for animal crossing.

"When we work together we come out with solutions. The wall is being demolished Great team work," she wrote.

While this may be a win, there needs to be a permanent solution to such an issue across the nation. Recently, a committee of Project Elephant Division submitted a report to the Union ministry stating that 24 elephants were killed in 20 train accidents between Podanur and Palakkad since 1978. Activists have urged for the construction of wildlife-friendly railway stations and secure wildlife crossing zones for animals.

"The government must listen to NGOs and wildlife experts and create pathways for the elephants at specific spots along the railway tracks. Although officials have created pathways for elephants at certain stations, including Runnymede, some people close them with fences. Awareness must be created for them," K Natarajan, Founder & President of Nilgiri Heritage Steam Carrier Trust said.