Mumbai, January 12: An IFS (Indian Forest Service) officer named Praveen Kaswan shared a video on social media showing a youth harassing wild elephants and running away while one of them chases him. The IFS officer raised concern over the incident and explained the consequences of harassing an elephant. The officer stated that the youth is young and he is able to outrun the animal, however, the elephant would behave aggressively with any other person of whom it will come in contact with. The elephant may also attack other human in aggression.
The officer shared the video on his social media account and 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 further said, “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:
1. Increased Stress and Aggression
•Stress Indicators: Elephants subjected to human disturbances often exhibit signs of stress, such as increased tail swishing, head shaking, trumpeting, and mock charges.
•Elevated Stress Hormones: Research has shown that human disturbances can lead to elevated levels of fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGMs), indicating increased stress.
2. Memory and Retaliation
•Anticipatory Behavior: Due to their ability to remember past threats, elephants may exhibit defensive behaviors when encountering humans, even if no immediate threat is present.
3. Disruption of Normal Movement Patterns
•Avoidance Behavior: Elephants may alter their natural movement patterns to avoid areas where they have experienced harassment, potentially leading to habitat stress. For instance, exposure to human-generated noise has been observed to cause elephants to move further away from the source, indicating retreat behavior.
4. Impact on Group Dynamics
•Social Structure Disruption: Harassment of individual elephants can disrupt the social dynamics of the entire herd, leading to increased vocalizations and erratic group movements as they attempt to protect vulnerable members.
5. Long-Term Impact on Conservation
•Human-Elephant Conflict: Negative interactions with humans can lead to increased human-elephant conflict, making conservation efforts more challenging. Early trauma in elephants has been shown to alter their ability to assess threats, potentially leading to inappropriate responses to human presence.
Ethical Responsibility
Harassing elephants is not only unethical but also has tangible consequences on their well-being and behavior, posing risks to both animals and humans. Respecting wildlife and maintaining a safe distance is crucial for the well-being of these majestic creatures and for human safety.
So maybe it is fun for some but because of this behaviour others are in danger.”
Instead of viewing wildlife as objects of entertainment, we must remember our ethical duty to protect and coexist with these majestic creatures. The safety of both humans and animals depends on our ability to respect their space and behaviours.
Let this video serve as a reminder: Harassing wildlife is neither brave nor amusing — it’s irresponsible and dangerous.
