You must have heard about elephants being run over by trains in Odisha. Well, looks like the Odisha government did not take this lightly. They have finally come up with some concrete measures to prevent the death of these elephants. The state forest department has installed hanging solar fences along the railway tracks that pass through areas with elephants and other wild animals.
Hanging Solar Fence For Elephants
The Odisha government came up with this after the tragic death of a female elephant and two calves. The incident took place in the month of May when they were run over by a train at Joda in Keonjhar as a herd of 22 elephants was crossing the track. The solar fence carries a power of 10,000 volts which will keep the animals away from crossing tracks and highways. The shock from the fence is not at all fatal and the animals will not be harmed. The 750-metre-long hanging solar fence was inaugurated by Joda Block chairman and Keonjhar DFO Dhanraj Hanuman. The state’s first hanging fence is installed over the railway track and national highway between Joda’s Crech hutting and Behera hutting.
“Hanging Solar fencing” a pilot project to prevent elephant entering on railway track and on busy national highway between Behera and Crech hutting, Joda.@CMO_Odisha @MoSarkar5T @moefcc @ForestDeptt @susantananda3 @PCCFWL_Odisha @pccfodisha @DistAdmKeonjhar @spkeonjhar pic.twitter.com/l1tet8R47U
— DFO Keonjhar (T) (@DfoKeonjhar) October 8, 2022
An Idea To Reduce The Accidents
There will be no current flowing through the cables and three-millisecond pulses in the hanging solar fence. The elephants will receive a shock every time they try to cross the track and after one or two trials they will surely turn away. Keonjhar DFO Dhanraj Hanuman said that this effort will surely reduce the tragic incidents to a greater extent. The forest department tried to put an end to these incidents by creating trenches near the tracks but that did not work much. Hence, they have now installed hanging solar fences which will surely help in the safety of both the animals and humans. These solar fences get charged by sunlight and offer a very brief and strong but not fatal shock to anyone that comes in contact with it.
Also Read: This Hidden Gem In Goa Has A Stream To Play With Elephants
What are your thoughts on this?
Cover Image Courtesy: Twitter/DFO Dhanraj Hanuman