2 elephants die on a single day in Tamil Nadu

Two elephants including a three- year-old calf died today in separate incidents in Tamil Nadu.
While a 15-year-old elephant was killed after it was knocked down by a train in the Madukkarai forest division on the outskirts, a calf died of serious injuries near Mankarai.
The Chennai-bound West Coast Express dashed against the elephant while it was crossing the track around 5.30 AM. Under the impact, the elephant was thrown some 20 feet down the track. Forest Department officials said.
The jumbo was trying to cross the track near Solayar as two other elephants had already crossed it.
However, the train knocked down the pachyderm which sustained an injury in the back. Though officials tried to revive it by medication, it died three hours later, they said.

Blaming the train driver for the death of the elephant, the passengers said the train was running at a speed of 50 KMs, as against the normal limits of 25 to 30 Kms stipulated by the Forest Department considering frequent movement of elephants in the area.

In a separate incident, a elephant which was moving around Mankarai, some 15 kms from here, for the last 10 days due to some injuries died as its mother did not allow anyone to go near it. After struggling for a few days, the calf died around 3.30 PM today, they said.
The post-mortem of both the animals were carried out and the carcass buried, the sources said.

A lactating elephant was killed by the Kochuveli Express on June 20, some five km from Solayar.