In order to prevent trains from hitting elephants, railways has come up with a new plan. The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has deployed a device that amplifies the buzz of swarming honeybees which is a natural enemy of elephants. This test is being conducted along the railway corridors that are visited regularly by wild herds. This experiment seems to be working fine.
NFR data reveals that train-hits killed 16 elephants in 2016 followed by at least half a dozen this year. Elephants, despite having thick skin and an enormous size, are terrified of bees (especially of getting stung on the sensitive trunk). Taking this into consideration, Indian Railways has found a clever way to make use of their fear in order to keep them protected.
Unlike Kenya, where boutique beehives are suspended from fences to keep the jumbos away, the NFR’s Rangiya Division, about 65 km northwest of Guwahati, came up with the electronic “buzzer” to keep the animals at bay. The device costs about Rs.2,000 and is audible to elephants 600 meters away.
The first of this device was lodged at a level crossing between Kamakhya and Azara railway stations near Guwahati, two months ago. This crossing is situated a few metres from one of the 27 elephant corridors under NFR.
“The buzzing sound is in a frequency the elephants do not like. The device has prevented the animals from approaching the tracks at least five times, but we have instructed employees near elephant corridors to use the device only if the elephants come when trains are approaching,” Rangiya divisional railway manager Ravilesh Kumar said.
Elephant experts had tried various jumbo-repulsion techniques like chili bomb and electric fences but they were neither effective nor cost-efficient.
