A wild elephant caused significant disruption near a toll plaza on the Dehradun-Haridwar highway in Uttar Pradesh, raising concerns over safety and officials’ preparedness. The large elephant ventured onto the busy road, aggressively threatening vehicles in the toll lane. A video capturing the incident has gone viral on social media, showing the elephant striking a stationary car with its trunk while the driver narrowly avoided an attack by quickly driving away.
Officials acknowledged that elephant sightings in this area are common, as the region falls within their natural roaming territory. However, the frequency of such incidents poses a serious risk to motorists and local residents. The episode caused panic among commuters and highlighted the challenges in managing human-elephant conflicts in the region.
Elephant Creates Chaos at Lachhiwala Toll Plaza, Lifts and Smashes Barrier; Incident Comes Days After Same Elephant Overturned Devotees’ Tractor-Trolley on Dehradun-Haridwar Highway. pic.twitter.com/4Fmp0zu5Sv
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Local communities expressed anger over what they termed as official negligence, demanding immediate measures to monitor elephant movements and ensure their safe passage away from populated areas. Authorities have since intensified surveillance and are exploring ways to mitigate such conflicts to prevent loss of life and property.