How to train elephants to cross Coimbatore rail line safely? Building underpass isn’t enough Akshaya Nath, The Print September 29, 2023 See link <https://theprint.in/feature/around-town/how-to-train-elephants-to-cross-coimbatore-rail-line-safely-building-underpass-isnt-enough/1783078/> for photos. At 3.04 am on 23 August, a male elephant in the Madukkarai forest range near Coimbatore nonchalantly crossed the railway line in Sulakkarai, Virudhunagar. Surveillance cameras immediately pinged alerts, and Tamil Nadu’s forest and railway officials whooped with joy. This marked the first time an elephant had used the underpass worth Rs 7.5 crore, which the Southern Railways had built especially for them. Their two-month-long vigil had come to an end. This muddy passage, over which an elevated railway line has been built, serves as the newest pilot project designed to steer elephants and other animals away from the collision path of trains. For months, all they saw were elephant footprints skirting around the underpass—almost as if the animals were suspicious of it. So far, only one male tusker has used the underpass. But the authorities are hopeful that ‘word will spread’, and more elephants will use this safe-crossing zone in the coming months. A forest guard enthusiastically points to a heap of elephant dung—now dried up—next to the underpass. “It’s a good sign,” he says. “It will help guide other elephants through this path. They will see it as a safe route.” Another underpass on the same line will be built around 1.5 km away, and the tendering process is already underway. As many as 11 elephants have died on this 13-kilometre stretch since 2008, and most of the accidents in Tamil Nadu take place here, according to forest officials who have identified it as a vulnerable zone. They’ve spotted the lone male and a herd of six females in the area. Although the underpass was commissioned in June, the machinery and construction debris was cleared only by mid-August. While the elephants may still be leery of using it, other forest denizens seem to be giving it a warmer welcome—of a sort. Cameras have captured footage of Indian gaur, spotted deer, and wild dogs using the new underpass. It’s not easy to change an elephant or a herd’s roaming routes, and this may negate the effectiveness of the underpass. For now, they still prefer to climb up the slope and cross the railway track. “Elephants stick to their regular paths. Once they get used to the underpass, they may not walk along the railway track,” said S Ramasubramanian, conservator of forests and field director of the Anamalai Tiger Reserve. If they don’t, forest officials will create an “environment” that will prod the elephants to use the underpass. “We’ll raise barriers along their regular pathways,” said an official. There are also plans to cultivate vegetation that elephants prefer and station guards along the stretch and guide them toward the underpass. https://theprint.in/feature/around-town/how-to-train-elephants-to-cross-coimbatore-rail-line-safely-building-underpass-isnt-enough/1783078/