Brave bus driver saves passengers as angry elephant charges into windshield

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<strong>Just as people get irritated when their space is violated, so do animals. At times when this transgression becomes too much to bear, anger is inevitable and this is probably what happened as an angry elephant charged at a bus in Tamil Nadu.</strong></p>
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In a video which has some hair-raising moments, one sees a big elephant with huge tusks charging in fury at a bus resulting in shattering of its windshield.</p>
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This incident took place last week on Saturday (September 25) morning when a State-owned bus was shuttling employees of the Government from Kotagiri to Mettupalayam, according to a report in Daily Mail.</p>
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<strong>Also read: <a href="https://www.indianarrative.com/culture-news/elephants-in-bandhavgarh-reserve-earn-a-well-deserved-vacation-112921.html">Elephants in Bandhavgarh reserve earn a well-deserved vacation</a></strong></p>
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The video was shot by one of the passengers of the bus and it depicts the animal charging at the windshield and shattering it with its big tusks. The sight of the pachyderm moving suddenly shocked the driver and the passengers, many of whom started screaming.</p>
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While the bus was already stationary the animal moved back with the intention of charging again. The driver at this point showed his presence of mind and asked all the passengers to move back.</p>
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Having vented his fury, the elephant decided to leave the bus and its travellers alone and moved on without afflicting any further damage.</p>
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Supriya Sahu, the Principal Secretary, Environment, Climate Change and Forests, Tamil Nadu shared the video on Twitter and praised the driver for keeping his cool in such a tense situation.</p>
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She wrote: "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. That's why they say a cool mind works wonders.”</p>
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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 <a href="https://t.co/SGb3yqUWqK">pic.twitter.com/SGb3yqUWqK</a></p>
— Supriya Sahu IAS (@supriyasahuias) <a href="https://twitter.com/supriyasahuias/status/1441700706423959560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 25, 2021</a></blockquote>
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The footage of the charging elephant caught the Netizens' fancy and was viewed several times. It evoked varied reactions. While some praised the driver, others raised issues concerning the increase in the animal-human conflict.</p>
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<strong>Also read: <a href="https://www.indianarrative.com/science-news/arrival-of-male-twins-cheers-sri-lanka-s-elephant-orphanage-112081.html">Arrival of male twins cheers Sri Lanka’s elephant orphanage</a></strong></p>