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    Train kills tigress in Uttarakhand

    Synopsis

    In the first incident of its kind in Uttarakhand, a tigress died after being hit by a train between Ramnagar and Kashipur stations. The mutilated carcass of the nine-year-old big cat was discovered by villagers on Friday morning.

    DEHRADUN: In the first incident of its kind in Uttarakhand, a tigress died after being hit by a train between Ramnagar and Kashipur stations. The mutilated carcass of the nine-year-old big cat was discovered by villagers on Friday morning.

    Officials said the animal may have been blinded by fog and failed to spot the train.

    “A Delhi-Ramnagar train passes through the area at 4 in the morning. On Friday, there was a dense fog in the area at that time. It seems the tigress was disoriented by the low visibility,” Rahul Kumar, divisional forest officer of Terai West, told TOI.

    “This is the time of day when animals are quite relaxed, as human movement becomes minimal,” he added.

    Leopards and elephants have in the past been struck by trains in Uttarakhand. Kumar said tigers normally avoid getting hit because they are agile and so sensitive to sound that they can hear the train from a long way away.

    He said the tigress that died was perhaps old, with a dulled sense of hearing. He added that tigers from Corbett Tiger Reserve stray into this area at times, and this particular cat too could have moved out from CTR.

    “There is dense vegetation on this stretch. There were tall bushes on both sides of the track, reducing visibility not only for animals but also for the railway driver, who did not spot the tigress,” Kumar said.

    He said that since the accident in the morning, trains were using horns, and arrangements were being made to light up this stretch.

    Chief wildlife warden DVS Khati said he would inspect the accident site and hold an inquiry. Railway authorities did not inform forest officials about the accident, he added.

    Khati ruled out fencing off the area or asking the railways to reduce the speed of trains on this stretch. “Since this is an army area on one side and has agricultural land on the other, there is no possibility of fencing off the stretch. This is not a reserve forest, so railway authorities cannot be asked to lower the speed of trains. Using the horn can help alert animals,” he said.


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