Elephant charges at people trying to scare it away with torches in paddy field
A wild elephant charged at people trying to drive it away from a paddy field with torches.
An elephant charged towards a group of people in a paddy field, appearing to trample some of them as they desperately tried to scare the animal away with torches.
The elephant was seen moving rapidly through the knee-deep mud despite repeated attempts to drive it away. As people waved torches and tried to frighten it, the elephant charged towards them, sending the group scrambling for safety.
Dr PM Dhakate, Special Secretary to the Uttarakhand Chief Minister, shared the video and explained that elephants can move surprisingly fast even in knee-deep paddy mud, where a person can barely walk. Their broad feet allow them to spread their heavy weight across the soft ground and accelerate to high speeds within seconds.
Dhakate warned that what appears to be a safe distance from an elephant can disappear almost immediately when the animal feels threatened. Attempts to scare elephants by shouting, waving torches or throwing firecrackers can instead terrify them and trigger a defensive charge.
“An elephant looks slow until it isn’t,” Dhakate said, advising people who encounter wild elephants to give them plenty of space, avoid surrounding them and ensure that the animal has a completely open route to escape.
The footage was credited to Shyam Oraon and Santosh Lakra.
The encounter also highlights the risks of approaching or attempting to drive away wild elephants. Wildlife experts generally advise people to maintain a safe distance, avoid sudden movements or attempts to provoke the animal, and leave it an unobstructed path to move away.
An elephant charged towards a group of people in a paddy field, appearing to trample some of them as they desperately tried to scare the animal away with torches.
The elephant was seen moving rapidly through the knee-deep mud despite repeated attempts to drive it away. As people waved torches and tried to frighten it, the elephant charged towards them, sending the group scrambling for safety.
Dr PM Dhakate, Special Secretary to the Uttarakhand Chief Minister, shared the video and explained that elephants can move surprisingly fast even in knee-deep paddy mud, where a person can barely walk. Their broad feet allow them to spread their heavy weight across the soft ground and accelerate to high speeds within seconds.
Dhakate warned that what appears to be a safe distance from an elephant can disappear almost immediately when the animal feels threatened. Attempts to scare elephants by shouting, waving torches or throwing firecrackers can instead terrify them and trigger a defensive charge.
“An elephant looks slow until it isn’t,” Dhakate said, advising people who encounter wild elephants to give them plenty of space, avoid surrounding them and ensure that the animal has a completely open route to escape.
The footage was credited to Shyam Oraon and Santosh Lakra.
The encounter also highlights the risks of approaching or attempting to drive away wild elephants. Wildlife experts generally advise people to maintain a safe distance, avoid sudden movements or attempts to provoke the animal, and leave it an unobstructed path to move away.
An elephant charged towards a group of people in a paddy field, appearing to trample some of them as they desperately tried to scare the animal away with torches.
The elephant was seen moving rapidly through the knee-deep mud despite repeated attempts to drive it away. As people waved torches and tried to frighten it, the elephant charged towards them, sending the group scrambling for safety.
Dr PM Dhakate, Special Secretary to the Uttarakhand Chief Minister, shared the video and explained that elephants can move surprisingly fast even in knee-deep paddy mud, where a person can barely walk. Their broad feet allow them to spread their heavy weight across the soft ground and accelerate to high speeds within seconds.
Dhakate warned that what appears to be a safe distance from an elephant can disappear almost immediately when the animal feels threatened. Attempts to scare elephants by shouting, waving torches or throwing firecrackers can instead terrify them and trigger a defensive charge.
“An elephant looks slow until it isn’t,” Dhakate said, advising people who encounter wild elephants to give them plenty of space, avoid surrounding them and ensure that the animal has a completely open route to escape.
The footage was credited to Shyam Oraon and Santosh Lakra.
The encounter also highlights the risks of approaching or attempting to drive away wild elephants. Wildlife experts generally advise people to maintain a safe distance, avoid sudden movements or attempts to provoke the animal, and leave it an unobstructed path to move away.
