Rajkot: A lion is suspected to have been injured after colliding with a goods train between Liliya and Damnagar in Amreli district on Thursday.Forest officials launched a search for the animal after finding its tail and fine hair on the railway track, but the injured lion could not be traced.According to sources, the incident occurred when a goods train coming from Pipavav Port hit the lion. The train was halted following the incident.The incident is the first suspected wildlife-train collision in the region in the past two years, following the implementation of a strict standard operating procedure (SOP) to prevent such accidents.Under the SOP, vulnerable stretches have been identified as hotspots, train speeds have been restricted, trackers have been deployed along railway tracks, and measures have been taken to improve visibility for train drivers. Regular coordination meetings between the railway and forest departments, along with sensitisation programmes for loco pilots, have also been part of the preventive measures.Forest officials believe these measures have helped reduce wildlife-train collisions in the region. However, they feel the existing monitoring network may need to be expanded as the lion population continues to grow and the animals increasingly move beyond their traditional habitats.A stretch of around 100 km across Amreli and Bhavnagar districts has been identified as a wildlife collision hotspot. Forest officials believe the area covered under the monitoring system may need to be extended to address the growing presence of lions and minimise the risk of accidents.
