NEW DELHI: Indian Forest Service officer Praveen Kaswan shared a video of a man trying to provoke an elephant and narrowly escaping as he chased him.
In the video shared by Kaswan on Sunday, the young man can be seen going after the elephants after the animals retreat.
Raising concerns over such a behaviour, Kaswan said, “Maybe you are young and you can outrun the elephants. But these irritated animals don’t behave peacefully if they see other human for next few days. Don’t irritate wild animals for your fun.”
He went on to list out “several behavioral changes in elephants” that might result from such a behaviour.
“Elephants are highly intelligent and social animals, and their interactions with humans can significantly influence their behavior. Harassment or irritation by humans can lead to several behavioral changes in elephants in the subsequent days,” he said.
Human disturbances cause significant harm to elephants, triggering stress behaviors like tail swishing, head shaking, and mock charges, along with elevated stress hormone levels. Their strong memory of past threats leads to defensive actions even without immediate danger, he noted.