Almost 70 elephants were reportedly killed by trains between 2013 and June this year. Most of them were in the north-eastern estate of Assam and northern West Bengal.
To avoid these incidents from continuing, Indian Railways have come up with a way to get elephants get away from the train track and it involves bees. No, it’s not real bees, but just their buzzing sounds from amplifiers!
Elephants, though the largest animal on land, are actually terrified of the tiny bees! They will flap their ears, stir up dust and make noises, according to The Independent. A bee’s sting can penetrate even the thick skin of elephants in their most sensitive areas, like the trunk, mouth and eyes.
About 50 amplifiers have been deployed as part of “Plan Bee” in the vast forests of Assam state, where nearly 6,000 elephants live.
“We were looking for means to stop the elephants from coming on to the tracks and our officers came up with this device,” Pranaj Jyoti Sharma, and Indian Railways spokesperson, told AFP.
The sound of bees is played as trains approach vulnerable points, said Sharma, adding that it can be heard up to half a mile away.
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