Alert loco pilots of a goods train and a passenger train prevented a potential disaster by stopping their trains in time to save eight lions that had wandered onto railway tracks in Gujarat’s Bhavnagar district over the past two days, officials confirmed on Sunday.
The lives of the lions were saved thanks to the timely actions of the loco pilots from the Western Railway’s Bhavnagar division, who were assisted by forest department trackers.
Since the beginning of the financial year, 104 lions have been rescued in this manner, said Mashooque Ahmad, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager for Bhavnagar.
According to a statement, on Thursday, Dhavalbhai P, the driver of a goods train heading to Pipavav Port from Hapa, noticed five lions crossing the tracks near Rajula city.
The alert loco pilot applied the emergency brakes, halting the train just in time to allow the lions to cross safely. The train was cleared to proceed once a forest guard reached the spot and confirmed that all conditions were normal.
The following day, Sunil Pandit, the loco pilot of a passenger train, spotted a lioness with two cubs crossing the tracks in the Chalala-Dhari section. He immediately applied the emergency brakes, halting the train.
A forest guard arrived at the scene, confirmed that the lions had moved away from the tracks, and gave the go-ahead for the train to continue.
The area where these incidents occurred, the railway line connecting Pipavav Port with north Gujarat, has seen several instances of Asiatic lions either being killed or seriously injured due to train collisions.
This prompted the Gujarat High Court to raise concerns and direct authorities to formulate a standard operating procedure (SOP) to prevent such incidents.
In response, the Bhavnagar Division has instructed loco pilots to exercise heightened vigilance while adhering to prescribed speed limits.
Additionally, the state forest department has constructed fences along the railway tracks at regular intervals to further protect the lions from train collisions.
Follow us
