Elephant herd on Khatima-Tanakpur highway at Chakarpur; one elephant chases five friends on bikes and a young man on foot, traffic held up for about half an hour

A herd of elephants came onto the Khatima-Tanakpur National Highway (NH-125) near the Vankhandi Shiv temple at Chakarpur on Sunday (November 8) morning. According to Dainik Bhaskar, five friends riding bikes had to brake suddenly on seeing one of the elephants; it turned towards them and ran after them for about 100 metres. Several drivers turned their vehicles around in fear and drove off in the opposite direction. The elephant then ran after a young man walking on the road, who managed to save himself by running. After that the elephant came in front of a bus; the driver stopped the bus and the passengers sat quietly inside. After chasing one or two more vehicles, the elephant went back towards the forest. According to Hindustan, traffic was affected for about half an hour and vehicles queued up on both sides. Khatima range ranger Harendra Singh Bisht said there is an elephant corridor near Chakarpur, through which elephants cross the highway and move up to Nepal. He appealed to people to stay alert and patient if elephants are on the road, and to wait at a safe distance until they move away.