Guarded by herd, elephant gives birth on road in Kerala bringing traffic to a halt for an hour

Idukki (Kerala), July 6

A road connecting Tamil Nadu and Kerala, passing through Marayoor area in the high range district of Idukki was blocked for around an hour.

This was not for any VIP movement, but as a result of an elephant giving birth in the middle of the road.

As the mother was giving birth, her herd blocked the road and prevented vehicular movement from both ends for an hour early Tuesday morning, a senior officer of the forest department said.

The herd moved away only after the newborn calf and its mother walked away into the nearby forest, according to eyewitness accounts of the incident, the officer said.

Visuals of the birth in the middle of the road have gone viral and were aired on TV channels.

The visuals show the newborn calf and its mother in the middle of the road with vehicles stopped on both ends of the road some distance from the elephants.

The officer also said that this was not a one of a kind incident and such things often happen in and around the forest areas.