Elephant–Railway Conflict in a Biodiversity Hotspot: Determinants and Perceptions of the Conflict in Northern West Bengal, India

Dasgupta, Shreya; Ghosh, Asish Kumar

doi:10.1080/10871209.2014.937017

Cited by 28 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Many species of wildlife have been victims of train collisions while travelling on railways van der Grift 1999;Bertwhistle 2001;Andreassen et al 2005;Iosif 2012;Kusta et al 2014;Dasgupta and Ghosh 2015). Such mortalities can have severe impacts on animal populations, such as moose (Alces alces Linnaeus, 1758) (Becker and Grauvogel 1991;Gunderson and Andreassen 1998).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Elk (Cervus elaphus) railway mortality in Ontario

et al. 2018

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Wildlife railway research is highly underrepresented in science despite documented wildlife–train collision mortalities. Gathering baseline information is imperative to the development of effective train collision mitigation, especially for at-risk or small reintroduced populations such as elk (Cervus elaphus Linnaeus, 1758) in eastern North America. We tested our hypotheses that elk–train collision rates vary in relation to railway structure and weather by using a combination of radiotelemetry and railway mortality surveys. Elk were closer to the railway in winter than in any other season. Elk–train collision sites were significantly closer to the apex of bends in the railway than random locations along the railway, and collision rates were positively related to snow depth. Railways may be perceived by elk as easy travel corridors, and deep snow likely prohibits escape from oncoming trains. This study gathered important information about an under-studied aspect of wildlife–human conflicts and provides a basis for the investigation of other species that may be affected by railways.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Elk (Cervus elaphus) railway mortality in Ontario

et al. 2018

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“…We collected data on elephant casualties due to collisions with trains between 1974 and 2015, using records maintained by the Government of West Bengal (2012), the Alipurduar Divisional Railway Manager's office, several offices of the West Bengal Forest Department, tea association offices, scientific reports and publications (Roy et al 2009;Dasgupta and Ghosh 2015), and newspaper reports. These records include date, time, location, number of animals injured or killed, and the gender and age groups of these animals.…”

Section: Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To give an idea of the numbers of accidents involving elephants along these tracks, 18 elephant deaths were recorded at Rajaji National Park, Uttarkhand, between 1987(Singh et al 2001, 35 deaths in Assam from 1987 to 2006 (Sarma et al2006), 16 in Odisha (Palai et al 2013) and 13 elephant deaths in Tamil Nadu between 2002 and 2013 (Jha et al 2014). However, the Siliguri Alipurduar track in northern West Bengal has witnessed the highest numbers of elephant deaths in train collisions; while 27 deaths were recorded between 1974 and 2002, the figure rose to 65 between 2004 and 2015 (Roy et al 2009;Dasgupta and Ghosh 2015;Roy and Sukumar 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Direct as well as indirect impacts of the railways have exacerbated over the years with the expansion of the rail network, gauge conversion, and increases in frequency and speed of trains to meet the needs of a modernizing society and an increasing population. A number of larger mammalian species including gaur (Bos gaurus), rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis), sambar deer (Rusa unicolor), nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus), sloth bear (Melursus ursinus), leopard (Panthera pardus), lion (Pathera leo) and tiger (Panthera tigris) have been killed in collision with trains (MOEF 2010;Raman 2011;Dasgupta and Ghosh 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Railways and Wildlife: A Case Study of Train-Elephant Collisions in Northern West Bengal, India

Roy

Sukumar

2017

Railway Ecology

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The extensive network of the Indian Railways cuts through several forested landscapes, resulting in collisions of trains with a variety of wildlife species, including the largest land mammal-the elephant. In India, railway lines cross elephant habitats in several states, with accidents that resulted in more than 200 elephant deaths between 1987 and 2015. As the 161-km Siliguri-Alipurduar track in the northern West Bengal state witnesses train-elephant collisions frequently, we developed a case study there with the objectives of mapping locations of collisions and generating a susceptibility map showing locations prone to accidents. We mapped elephant crossing points and movement paths along this railway track, as well as accident locations. Between 1974 and 2015, collisions occurred throughout the line, although there were several hotspots where elephant deaths were concentrated. A disproportionate number of accidents occurred during the night. Crop raiding in villages and train elephant accidents seem to be closely related, probably due to an increased frequency of elephant movement near or across this railway track during the cultivation season. Male elephants were much more prone to accidents, possibly because of behavioural characteristics that make them cross railway tracks more frequently. To reduce the frequency of accidents in this region, we recommend reducing the speed of trains, limiting the operation of trains during at night, provisioning overpasses and underpasses, using communications technology, realigning a portion of the track, and fencing the track except for corridor areas.

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“…Across the globe, more than 80 species of wildlife, ranging from mammals to herpetofauna and birds, have been reported killed by collisions with trains [16][17][18][19][20][21]. Train collisions can substantially impact wildlife populations, and for some species, are considered one of the leading causes of known mortality [14,[22][23][24][25].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal Use of Railways by Wildlife

Popp

Hamr

2018

Diversity

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Despite the rapid advancements in the field of road ecology, very little research has been done in railway ecology. Basic research, such as railway use by wildlife, is relatively undocumented, albeit very important in understanding the potential negative and positive effects of railways on wildlife and ecosystems. We provide one of the first studies documenting wildlife railway use using motion-triggered cameras along a 20 km stretch of railway in Ontario. Our objectives were to develop a much-needed baseline understanding of railway use by endemic wildlife species, investigate differences in frequency of use among species, compare diurnal versus nocturnal use, and determine if railway use by wildlife was uniform or spatially varied. We found a significant proportion of medium-to-large resident mammalian fauna and several avian species non-uniformly using the studied railway. Some species used the railway as a travel corridor, while others appeared to use it incidentally. Diel and seasonal patterns of use were apparent for many species. Our findings emphasize the importance of species-specific investigations of railway ecology. The collection of baseline information on railway use by wildlife is critical in view of the dearth of available data, and we highly encourage further research in all aspects of wildlife–railway ecology.

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Elephant–Railway Conflict in a Biodiversity Hotspot: Determinants and Perceptions of the Conflict in Northern West Bengal, India

Cited by 28 publications

References 9 publications

Elk (Cervus elaphus) railway mortality in Ontario

Elk (Cervus elaphus) railway mortality in Ontario

Railways and Wildlife: A Case Study of Train-Elephant Collisions in Northern West Bengal, India

Seasonal Use of Railways by Wildlife

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