More than 32,000 animals, including cattle, lions and leopards, have been killed on railway tracks in the past three years, according to data provided by the railways.

Additionally, this year till June 20, 3,479 animals died after being run over by trains.

This does not include elephants, 60 of whom were killed in the last three years and five this year till June 20.

In 2016, 7,945 animals were mowed down by trains. In 2017, the number rose to 11,683. In 2018, it went up further to 12,625.

A senior railway official acknowledged the problem and said that while the number of train accidents was decreasing, the number of animal deaths on tracks, which were around 3,000-4,000 in 2014-2015, has been increasing.

Trains are also suffering damage in this accidents.

Earlier this year, newly launched Vande Bharat Express, hit stray cattle and its aerodynamic nose, which is made of steel with a fibre cover on it, had to be replaced.

The railways are now planning to fence off tracks that are around open areas, such as fields, to avoid such incidents.

Railway security personnel are also sensitising farmers to keep their cattle off the tracks, but that doesn’t seem to be working.