ANEC serves legal notice over elephant deaths on Walayar rail corridor
The ANEC Trust has issued a legal notice to the Kerala government demanding better protection for elephants on the Walayar-Kanjikode railway corridor. The group advocates for the implementation of AI-based detection systems to prevent train-related wildlife fatalities.
Why it matters
This highlights the ongoing conflict between infrastructure development and wildlife conservation in India, emphasizing the role of technology in mitigation.
The Animal and Nature Ethics Community (ANEC) Trust, a Kochi-based organisation working on animal welfare and wildlife conservation, has served a legal notice to the State government over recurring elephant deaths on the Walayar-Kanjikode railway corridor.
It demanded immediate measures to prevent further deaths and the full operation of an AI-based elephant detection and early-warning system on the stretch. ANEC said the State had a constitutional and statutory duty to protect wildlife and called for better coordination between the Forest department and Railways.
The notice follows the death of an elephant and her calf after they were hit by the Mengaluru-Chennai Superfast Express on August 12, on the World Elephant Day, near Walayar. ANEC said 35 elephants had been killed after getting hit by trains on the stretch over the past two decades. It also cited the death of a four-year-old elephant there in February.
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