The latest victim of a train strike in the Balule Nature Reserve. Image: Letaba Herald
A lone bull elephant became the latest victim of a train strike in the Balule Nature Reserve on Friday.
This year alone, the train line, which carries freight from the mines in Phalaborwa to other parts of the country, has claimed the lives of six elephants, three lion cubs, as well as a number of plains game, leopards, and hippos, reports Letaba Herald.
When speaking to the Hoedspruit Herald, the founder of Black Mambas anti-poaching unit, Craig Spencer, said that the loss of lives of critical species often makes the jobs of the anti-poaching teams seem rather futile.
“We are trying to develop an ethos for the love of wildlife and protect animals from poachers, yet we are losing animals to the trains.”
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Spencer fully acknowledged that the train line was there before the nature reserve was established, and accepted that losses would inevitably occur, but hoped that Transnet, who operated the trains, would come up with plans to mitigate such tragedies.
The elephant that was struck last week was not reported by the train driver to the reserve. Another two trains passed the carcass, the drivers of which also failed to report the incident. This ends up causing a number of problems for the reserve.
Firstly, the carcass attracts scavengers which may then fall victim to the next passing train.
Secondly, there is a security risk involved as the deceased animal lays in the bush with valuable ivory tusks that need to be removed by reserve personnel.
Additionally, in terms of resources, if the anti-poaching teams are held up following up on vulture activity for the elephant carcass, they may be missing vulture activity in other sections of the reserve, which may point them in the direction of a poached rhino, for example.
One of the lion cubs that was killed this year. Photo supplied.
Simple reporting by the train drivers would be of great assistance to the reserve, although it is a rather reactive response and does not mitigate the number of deaths.
Spencer acknowledged that occasionally the drivers did report such incidents, but not every time.
One option to reduce casualties would be for Transnet to make use of the other train line that runs parallel to the R40 road, which does not cut through the nature reserve.
Spencer advised that another option would be to cut the vegetation back on both sides of the line, as the animals are often attracted to browse the trees close to the train track, especially in the winter months.
A third option would be to explore the possibility of creating wildlife corridors where the animals could safely pass under or over the tracks. Wildlife corridors have shown a huge success in other countries around the world – connecting fragmented habitats, as well as offering alternate routes for wildlife to avoid highways and train lines.
Spencer shared that most of the fatalities occurred in cuttings, where the train line cut through a hilly area. The animals get caught in the cutting and when a train approaches, they cannot escape up the steep banks on either side. Reducing the gradient of the cutting banks could be another option.
Whilst none of the listed options come without great financial and logistical problems, it seems long overdue to explore some of them.
“I’m not an engineer, my job is to protect wildlife,” said Spencer. “Transnet needs to respond to this ongoing problem.”
He stressed that the reserve understood the complexities of mitigating the issue, and hoped to find a solution by working amicably with Transnet.
“We understand that the train was there first and it plays a huge role in the economy. The trains take pressure off the road system and we certainly don’t want to go back to trucking,” said Spencer.
A leopard that was struck by a train on Balule. Photo supplied.
Spencer’s main frustration is that he is trying to teach the Black Mamba anti-poaching team as well as other counter-poaching personnel on the reserve about protecting wildlife and removing snares which may cause loss of life, all while the trains are causing multiple fatalities every year.
“It is difficult to motivate the anti-poaching teams when it all seems rather futile,” he concluded.
The Hoedspruit Herald has contacted Transnet for comment and at the time of going to press, they had acknowledged receipt of the email and promised to respond. Their response will be published once received.
According to a publication by another media house, Transnet has resolved to meet with the reserve in January in order to find a way to reduce the number of animals killed by the trains.
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