Train crew, loco pilot save 3 elephants crossing track; Piyush Goyal says 'extraordinary'

Union Minister of Railways Piyush Goyal has lauded the “alertness and prompt” action shown by loco pilot along with the entire crew of a train that immediately stopped to save lives of three elephants crossing the tracks. On November 11, Goyal shared the nearly two-minute-long clip of an incident that reportedly occurred at the Sivok-Gulma section in West Bengal when it was dark outside. The encounter of animals with the train crew was recorded by the one the members on board and it was later shared by the Union Minister. 

The video clearly shows three elephants including one baby elephant walking through the tracks and were spotted by the crew members only because of the flashlights installed at the front of the engine. However, the prompt action by the loco pilot to quickly pull the breaks and stop the engine saved the lives of the animals who walked off unhurt. Since Goyal shared the clip on November 11, it has now garnered over 1.77 lakh views and several thousands of people have also commented while expressing relief. Watch:

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‘Thank you Mr loco pilot’

Thousands of internet users expressed their gratitude towards loco pilot who was responsible for saving the lives of the animals. While some lauded the service as “well done”, others noted that the video depicts one of the foremost responsibilities of the crew onboard the train. Several others expressed their ideas and other innovations that Indian railways can introduce to prevent such encounters in the future such as bridges of animals or fences. One of the internet users also said “hats off” to the entire crew and questioned how can such incidents be prevented. 

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Just last month on October 20, Assam forest department seized the engine of a goods train that moved down a mother elephant and her calf inside the Lumding Reserve forest area of the State. The engine was seized from the Bamunimaidan Railway Yard under Wildlife Protection Act,1972, and this is perhaps the first time that such an action has been taken by the authorities.

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