Instances of human-elephant conflict are on the rise. Now, an undated video has emerged that shows a young boy hitting an elephant with a stick, as a large herd is seen in the background. In response to the attack, the elephant chases the boy forcing him to make a dash.
Indian Forest Service officer Susanta Nanda shared this video on Sunday and tweeted, “The extreme level of stupidity is what we call as madness. Never ever behave with wild Criticising the boy for the violence, a Twitter user wrote, “Boss they should be punished by law.. Otherwise these thought process won’t go..”. in such a manner. It may be your last moments if they retaliate by a small fraction of what is thrown at them.However, another person suggested that the forest department should take responsibility for ethically driving elephants away from villages and farmlands as they cause extreme damage to property and end up ruing or eating the crops.Echoing this view, a Twitter user wrote, “I suggest you should observe the activity “hulla party” around dusk,if any, appointed by forest dept. to move the herd from one area to other.” Hulla parties are groups of people that tactically drive away elephant herds.According to a Wildlife Institute of India (WII) report, the increased presence of elephant herds in farmlands or near residential areas is being credited to the encroachment of the home ranges of elephants due to mining or other development activities. Once these “home ranges” are disturbed, herds tend to move out in search of sustenance that they readily seek in plantations.
