When a wild elephant stares you in the face, can you keep your calm? A bus driver in Tamil Nadu could and he did and his valor saved lives.
In a viral video, a berzerk elephant can be seen charging towards a passenger bus in the Nilgiris region. As soon as the driver sees the agitated animal, he tried to reverse the bus. However, the elephant inches closer and within seconds and rams its tusks into the windshield. The tusker cracks it.
Shortly after, the driver escapes from his seat, and directs the passengers to move to the rear end. The elephant continued in the meantime to strike the windshield repeatedly.
The Principal Secretary (Environment and Forests) of Tamil Nadu, Supriya Sahu, shared the video, commending the bus driver for being calm and not fretting over it.
“He helped passengers move back safely,” Sahu wrote, adding, “That’s why they say a cool mind works wonders.’
Huge respect for the driver of this Government bus in Nilgiris who kept his cool even under the terrifying hits on the bus from an agitated tusker.He helped passengers move back safely, in an incident today morning. Thats why they say a cool mind works wonders VC- by a friend pic.twitter.com/SGb3yqUWqK
— Supriya Sahu IAS (@supriyasahuias) September 25, 2021
The incident took place when the state transport bus from Kotagiri to Mettupalayam stopped to let the animal cross the hilly stretch. Luckily, the elephant soon walked away without casuing anymore damag.
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On social media, the video not only went viral but kicked open a debate about human-animal conflict and the need for green corridors in populated spaces.
Frm opposite angle..
Initially he presumed he can bypass tusker and carry on..jumbo got triggered..imho pic.twitter.com/6XcL6T1no0— Dr.GB (@geebeeigwt) September 25, 2021
The tweeps kept coming with creative, concerned and comic responses to the event. Some said nobody stands a chance against elephant and shared a random video of a tiger running away from an incoming elephant.
As I always say “#elephant is the lord of the Forest”. He is the real king. Nobody stand a chance against him
pic.twitter.com/qLqYlgeCqF— krajiv68 (@krajiv681) September 25, 2021
