CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Forest Department has asked the Southern Railway to dismantle concrete fences at five spots to allow wild elephants to wander freely.

On Sunday, Shekar Kumar Neeraj, the Chief Wildlife Warden of Tamil Nadu, and forest authorities went for 7 kilometres along railway lines A and B in the Podanur-Madukkari stretch to conduct a detailed on-the-spot assessment on the difficulties encountered by wild elephants.

In November 2021, three elephants, including a calf, were killed by a speeding Mangalore-Chennai express, and the Southern Railway and the Forest Department have been at odds ever since.

Residents in the neighbourhood have also alerted the department that trains only blow their horns on rare occasions, which is contrary to the agency's usual operating policy.

"We discovered 30 retaining walls that prevent wild elephants and other wild creatures from moving freely. Elephant calves, for the most part, are unable to pass these barriers. Plastic debris placed on railway tracks, as well as food waste, must be removed since animals, particularly elephants, are attracted to the fragrance of food leftovers and are fatally struck by running trains."

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