COLOMBO ;A passenger train hit and killed an elephant and three calves in northern Sri Lanka on Wednesday, the latest deadly accident involving the venerated animals. The herd was walking across a newly upgraded railway line that runs through a jungle area when the accident occurred at Cheddikulam, about 260 kilometres (162 miles) north of Colombo.
\n“One of the baby elephants was dragged about 300 metres along the track after being hit,” a local police official told , adding that it was thought to be Sri Lanka\u2019s worst accident involving the animals.
\nNo passengers were injured in the collision.
\nAlthough elephants are considered sacred in Sri Lanka and are legally protected, nearly 200 are killed every year, many by farmers after the animals stray onto their land. Marauding elephants also claim the lives of about 50 people annually, mostly by trampling through villages built near their habitats.
\nIn 2011, three baby elephants were killed by a passenger train along the same track in a forest area about 150 kilometres north of Colombo.
\nIn May this year, four elephants including two calves were killed by lightning in the country\u2019s north.
\nSri Lanka\u2019s elephant population has dwindled to just over 7,000, according to the latest census, down from an estimated 12,000 in 1900.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
COLOMBO ;A passenger train hit and killed an elephant and three calves in northern Sri Lanka on Wednesday, the latest deadly accident involving the venerated animals. The herd was walking across a newly upgraded railway line that runs through a jungle area when the accident occurred at Cheddikulam, about 260 kilometres (162 miles) north of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1591","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n