In the early hours of Wednesday, a young adult male elephant was killed after being hit by a train near Walayar, Palakkad, Kerala. The tusker reportedly tried to cross the railway tracks when the accident occurred. Local residents noted that two elephants had been seen in the area over recent days. A team of forest officials quickly reached the spot to manage the situation and remove the elephant’s carcass. The Walayar stretch, located along the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border, is known as a high-risk railway zone for wildlife, especially elephants. Dozens of elephants have lost their lives on these tracks over the last twenty years. However, safety measures by the Railways and Forest department have helped reduce such incidents lately. The last train-hit incident was also reported in 2024.