Indian Train Kills Elephants Trying to Save Calves

A speeding Indian train killed a group of elephants as adult herd members tried to protect two calves who had become stuck in the tracks. Five adults and the two young animals died in the accident. Train traffic was suspended as surviving members of the herd huddled around the dead. The train was going twice the speed limit allowed along the wildlife corridor, and conservation officials have lodged a complaint against the railway. Hundreds of human sympathizers staged an angry protest over the deaths, reports the Telegraph. The accident in West Bengal occurred just as Hindus celebrated the end of an 11-day festival marking the birth of elephant-headed god Lord Ganesha. (More India stories.)