What happens when a fully powered passenger train meets a herd of wild elephants? Nothing good as this latest sad story demonstrates. A passenger train collided with a herd in Sri Lanka.
The resulting crash killed at least six wild elephants.
The Sri Lankan Police announced in a Facebook post that a passenger train had ran into a herd of eight elephants on the tracks. The incident happened on February 19.
They wrote, "The Meenagaya train which ran from Battakalapuwa to Colombo on 2025.02.19 after collision of 08 wild elephants has jumped at a station about 01 kilometers away from Galoya railway station. 06 elephants have died and wildlife officers are treating two injured elephants. No injuries to train passengers are reported and those passengers are working to depart from another train to their destination."
Fortunately, it appears that no passengers were injured. But six of the 8 elephants died. Meanwhile, the other two are injured and need medical treatment. It's a sad situation.
Elephants Die In Train Crash
In an interview with the Associated Press, Hasini Sarathchandra, a spokesman for the government's wildlife department, confirmed that four of the elephants that died had been baby elephants.
"According to a statement released by the Department of Wildlife Conservation, Railway Department officials, police, and wildlife officers swiftly coordinated efforts at the scene. Further investigations into the incident are underway to determine the circumstances surrounding the collision," Daily News reported, per CNN.
According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the crash could have been much worse. The typical size for a herd of wild elephants is anywhere from 12 to 20. That places the herd involved in the crash on the smaller side.
The organization writes, "The herd size in Sri Lanka ranges from 12-20 individuals or more. It is led by the oldest female, or matriarch. In Sri Lanka, herds have been reported to contain nursing units, consisting of lactating females and their young, and juvenile care units, containing females with juveniles. The Sri Lankan elephant population has fallen almost 65% since the turn of the 19th century. Today, the Sri Lanka elephant is protected under the Sri Lankan law and killing one carries the death penalty."
