Animal behaviour can be unpredictable and a group of tourists learnt the lesson the hard way while out on a safari in Karnataka recently. A video, shared by IFS officer Susanta Nanda on twitter shows an elephant chasing a safari cart inside the forest. The terrifying video starts off with the jumbo running behind the cart before it gives up the chase midway. But the encounter with the gentle giants didn’t stop there for the tourists. The vehicle again encountered yet another tusker ahead before it drove off to safety with its passengers.
Viewing wildlife is not a pleasure always.This group of tourists had a fair share of luck coming out of this horrific experience.Please keep away even though the safaris can be alluring. And maintain safe distance even if you venture into one. Wild can be wild any moment. pic.twitter.com/k3g29tXknJ
— Susanta Nanda IFS (@susantananda3) March 15, 2021
As the first elephant stops chasing the vehicle, the camera recording the incident turns towards the front of the vehicle, where it encounters yet another elephant right in front of the vehicle. The driver doesn’t lose his calm and revs up the engine as the elephant runs ahead. But after a while the elephant stops running ahead and pauses, turns towards the vehicle and one can hear the tourists screaming. The elephant then again turns around and runs forward through the path and the vehicle goes on its way. Towards the end of the video, four-five elephants are seen grazing nearby in the bushes.
The News Minute reported that senior officials in Karnataka said that the incident took place at BR Hills range forests in Mysuru district.
Netizens reacted differently to the video. While some said it was wrong of the tourists to chase the tuskers, some found it terrifying how the elephants chased them.
Felt bad for the #elephants..Tourists shouldn’t drive away elephants like this.. it’s highly condemnable.. agitated elephants will attack other people as retaliation., Such human behaviour is responsible for #man_elephant conflict.Tourist safaris should Never never do this..— Punam Kerketta (@kerketta_punam) March 15, 2021
WTF are they doing chasing the elephant??? I rarely wish harm on people but those people would have deserved whatever the poor elephant dealt out to them.He was protecting his herd, they were invading his space and threatening him. Leave the damn wild animals alone!!
— india america (@indians_america) March 15, 2021
Whenever you turn your back to animals and start running, they feel like they’re in a dominant position, then they charge at you!— Krunal Thakkar (@KrunallThakkar) March 15, 2021
Safari in open jeep happens everywhere…but i find the whole thing quite scary….— Sayantan Bardhan (@SBKolmus) March 15, 2021
Nature conservationists have often demanded forest departments ensure wildlife protection over tourism and thus restrict tourist movement to bare minimum in the very interiors of the forest for both conservation and safety purposes.