New Delhi: A video of a group of tourists trying to take selfies with a herd of elephants has gone viral, leaving netizens wondering how human beings can be so insensitive towards pachyderms.
IAS officer Supriya Sahu shared the video on Twitter, showing people stopping their vehicles too close to the elephants – who were trying to cross the road — and clicking pictures.
Two men are seen walking towards the herd and clicking selfies. They irritated the elephants, one of which got agitated and looked to charge at the group of people who had to beat a hasty retreat.
“Selfie craze with wildlife can be deadly. These people were simply lucky that these gentle giants chose to pardon their behaviour. Otherwise, it does not take much for mighty elephants to teach people a lesson,” Sahu wrote alongside the video.
Selfie craze with wildlife can be deadly. These people were simply lucky that these gentle giants chose to pardon their behaviour. Otherwise, it does not take much for mighty elephants to teach people a lesson. video-shared pic.twitter.com/tdxxIDlA03
— Supriya Sahu IAS (@supriyasahuias) August 6, 2022
The video attracted thousands of eyeballs, with netizens being furious with ‘stupid’ tourists who were trying to show their bravado by risking their lives.
Many said a hefty fine should be imposed on such unruly people, while others commented about how the men had a close escape thanks to the elephants deciding to move into the forest despite being perturbed.
Some Twitter users felt that proper animal corridors should be carved out by the forest department to ensure such incidents are not repeated.
