Yep....something I have observed over three decades is that whenever there is a drought resulting in lack of feed in paddocks, farm animals who normally contentedly remain within fences become escapologists and go after feed on the rail corridor (and on the sides of roads). Cattle will often simply trample a fence to get at feed outside the paddock. The kill rate on the rail corridor goes through the roof during a drought. The railway line down the hill from the Rimutaka Tunnel to Speedy's Crossing (just south of Featherston) is currently littered with the remains of carcasses of sheep and lambs plus a few cattle beasts that have been bowled by trains over the past few months. There are also lots of carcasses on the rail corridor around Woodside and between Clareville and Waingawa. At least the Harrier Hawks have been doing very well out of it, although that has had a downside as the rabbit population has dramatically increased in the area as the hawks have turned their attention to the constant supply of freshly-killed meat along the rail corridor instead of having to actually work at chasing down rabbits.