Every year dozens of entire elephant families are killed by trains. The location might be different but the story is the same. Elephant babies and juveniles get stuck on railroad tracks, their mothers, their aunties, their sisters and their brothers come to their aid. Even as the train approaches they continue efforts to free them; finally they pull together surround the trapped young and face the train.
This is a senseless and completely avoidable situation! Other Indian State governments have successfully reduced train speeds through elephant corridors and conservations areas resulting in the end of needless human and elephant injuries and deaths.
Please sign this petition and tell the West Bengal Cheif Forest Conservator to mandate and enforce effective speed controls through elephant corridors to eliminate the slaughter of elephants by trains.
Dear Honorable Ms. Kumari Mamata Banerjee:
Media of every sort have brought news to people around the word of the recent senseless slaughter of an Asian elephant family by a cargo train in your jurisdiction. The noble, intelligent, and highly endangered Asian elephant needs your protection. Now is the time to act swiftly, effectively, and permanently.
We the undersigned on behalf of the endangered Asian elephant entreat you to mandate and enforce effective speed controls through elephant corridors in West Bengal to eliminate their slaughter by trains. As you know such programs have been implemented and successfully maintained elsewhere in India for example Rajaji National Park, Uttarakhand. Therefore models and expertise exist from which you may draw to achieve this imperative. We thank you for your time in reading and acting upon our petition.
Respectfully,
Petition Signatories
