Train in India stops for two hours as elephant gives birth on tracks

What can stop a train dead in its tracks? A 3,000kg elephant giving birth, for one.

A video posted on the social media platform X by India’s Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Mr Bhupender Yadav, on July 9 shows an elephant going into labour right next to a railroad track in India’s eastern state of Jharkhand.

A forest official sent out an alert to all trains traversing a stretch between two stations after a ranger informed him that an elephant was spotted lying on the tracks and was at risk of being run over.

A train carrying coal came across the elephant, and stopped for about two hours to give it room to give birth.

The elephant eventually managed to deliver a healthy calf, and both mother and baby walked away from the tracks and into the forest safely.

Mr Yadav said in his post that his ministry and India’s railways authority have identified over 110 sensitive wildlife corridors along 3,500km of railway tracks across India.

“These zones are now being monitored closely to prevent accidents and to support such life-affirming moments,” he said, referring to the elephant giving birth.

Mr Yadav’s post, which has been seen over 50,000 times, drew both praise and scorn.

“Salute to the train driver who stopped at the right moment and saved both mother and her calf,” said one social media user who commented on the minister’s post.

Another said: “Truly heartwarming to see such coordination and compassion. Hats off to the dedicated team of foresters, the railways, and the public who showed such patience and understanding.”

Others, though, were not as effusive, raising human encroachment on wildlife habitation as the more relevant issue.

“This is not an achievement. The tracks should not be there in the first place,” said one X user.

Echoing the same sentiment, another user remarked: “I applaud the pilot for halting the train. But this is a bittersweet story. The greater issue is that this poor elephant and others have lost their forests to human encroachment”.

The Times of India reported that Jharkhand has seen a growing number of incidents involving humans and elephants, which have led to 474 people being killed in the past five years.

Thirty elephants died in these incidents, it said.