Baby elephant hit by train and paralysed walks again after surprising invention

EXCLUSIVE: Baby elephant hit by train and paralysed walks again after surprising inventionAn orphaned baby elephant whose mother died when they were hit by a train has been rescued - thanks to custom made boots from a British and Indian wildlife charityCommentsNewsSarah Arnold and Hannah Britt, Senior Reporter Mirror Features10:00, 12 Apr 2026View 4 ImagesBani wearing her bespoke boots, which have allowed the orphaned elephant to walk againProudly trotting around her enclosure in her faux leather footwear, after being saved from the brink of death, three-year-old elephant Bani was left paralysed in an accident which saw her and her mother hit by a train. The orphaned baby elephant's mother sadly died in the collision. Given just a 2% chance of survival, she was taken from the crash site in India for pioneering treatment at the country’s first elephant hospital in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, funded by the charity Wildlife SOS.‌Now showing off her bespoke boots, which each take between three and five days to make, experts are hailing her recovery as nothing short of a miracle. Wildlife SOS UK spokeswoman Linda Whiteley, from Beckenham, Greater London, says: “Bani is a walking miracle. Two years ago, she arrived as a severely injured calf in a critical condition and it was unclear if she'd ever walk again. She was given just a 2% chance of survival by the forest rangers who found her. She had been hit by a train, had terrible injuries and was paralysed.”‌READ MORE: Famous model rescues starving kittens with pop star boyfriend before wild resultBaby elephants usually stay with their mothers and the herd for 16 to 18 years, with females sometimes staying for life. Linda says: “We think Bani’s mother sacrificed her own life to try to shield her in what was the ultimate act of love. That sacrifice has now paid off as, thanks to the care she's received, she has a second chance at life.”‌View 4 ImagesLinda Whiteley of Wildlife SOS shares a snap with a rescued elep...