Keonjhar: An alert goods train driver stopped the locomotive in time after spotting a herd of 14 elephants crossing the railway tracks near Bedabandha in Keonjhar district on Friday.Four elephants, including two calves, initially turned back upon seeing the approaching train. Once they noticed the train had stopped, they carefully crossed the tracks. A video of them crossing the tracks later went viral on social media. The entire herd returned to the forest afterwards.Forest officials and elephant squads reached the spot. They helped guide the animals back into the forest and monitored their movement. Officials said the area near Namira village in Bamebari section of Champua range falls within an elephant corridor. Though elephant crossings are frequent, past cases have resulted in injuries and deaths.Range officer Akshay Chhatria said the railways are alerted about elephant movement in advance. “We regularly monitor the movement of herds and inform railway officials whenever elephants approach the tracks,” he said. Sources said that in the Joda-Barbil mining belt, tracks cut through several forest patches, leading to frequent crossings as elephants move between habitats in search of food.
