📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Attributed to Nicolas Poussin
National
Forest guard signals train driver as elephants cross railway tracks in West Bengal
✍️ India Today
🗓 12 Oct 2026, 04:36 AM
👁 21
A forest guard in West Bengal waved a cloth to alert a locomotive pilot when a herd of elephants moved onto the railway line, averting a potential accident.
A forest guard stationed along a railway line in West Bengal spotted a group of elephants stepping onto the tracks. He raised a bright cloth to catch the attention of the approaching locomotive pilot, signalling the imminent danger.
The quick warning allowed the train driver to apply brakes and bring the train to a halt before the animals could be struck. Such incidents highlight the recurring challenge of balancing railway operations with the migration routes of wild elephants in the region.
Railway officials confirmed that the train was stopped safely and no injuries were reported to either passengers or the elephants. They reiterated ongoing efforts to install early‑warning systems and coordinate with forest departments to prevent future clashes between trains and wildlife.
The quick warning allowed the train driver to apply brakes and bring the train to a halt before the animals could be struck. Such incidents highlight the recurring challenge of balancing railway operations with the migration routes of wild elephants in the region.
Railway officials confirmed that the train was stopped safely and no injuries were reported to either passengers or the elephants. They reiterated ongoing efforts to install early‑warning systems and coordinate with forest departments to prevent future clashes between trains and wildlife.