Spotted Deer Run Over By Goods Train In Jagatsinghpur

Bhubaneswar: Safety of wildlife along the railway corridors in the State is seemingly becoming a challenging issue for the government.

On Sunday evening, three spotted deers were run over a goods train in Jagatsinghpur district, barely couple of days after an elephant was killed by a goods train.

Cuttack divisional forest officer Sudarshan Patra told Hindustan Times that the mishap took place when the herd of deers was crossing the railway tracks at Dhalatangada forest in Gopalpur area under of Jagatsinghpur district.

“Our team of officials are at the spot and trying to gather more details,” said Patra.

Spotted deers are listed under Schedule 3 of Wildlife Protection Act, which means they are endangered and under the threat of extinction.

On Friday, a female elephant in Dhenkanal district was similarly knocked dead by a goods train. The elephant, part of a herd, was crossing the railway tracks at Barada level crossing under Sadar police limits when the mishap occurred. The train was running at such a high speed that it dragged the elephant for about 500 metres. However, other elephants managed to escape.

In November last year, a female elephant was knocked to death by a train in Keonjhar district.