The Hariram Snow-Plough was a device initially designed to minimse elephant deaths in forested parts of India due to train collisions. The concept was to place a large snow plough like piece in front of the train engine to safely "plough" away the elephants without causing harm. However, the idea did not account at all for the weight of an elephant and hence the impact it would exert on the train, and hence the elephant as well. As a result the instrument became later known for its particular effectiveness in permanently traumatizing elephants and other large animals. Many elephants died later on as a result of the extreme shock of having their bodies fired out like gunshots with no prior warning what-so-ever while peacefully eating, mating, or during some other activity in their life-cycle. The device is now mainly used by few animal psychologists to study the behavior of elephants and other large animals under heavy stress or shock, and is being considered for a ban,by the Kerala government, not only due the cruelty of it's usage against animals but also due to heavy damage these animals cause to human lives and property due to the shock and trauma of their train collision experiences.
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