6 Wild Elephants Stray Onto Haridwar Highway, Chaos Follows

Incidents of wild elephants straying into human settlements are on the rise in Uttarakhand's Haridwar district, raising concerns over growing human-wildlife conflict in the region.

In yet another such incident, a herd of six elephants suddenly emerged from the forest fringes of Rajaji National Park and wandered onto the busy Haridwar-Laksar highway, bringing traffic to a standstill for several minutes.

Motorists and passersby immediately cleared the road and waited as the herd crossed. A video of the incident shows the elephants moving in a line, passing closed roadside shops and heading toward nearby residential areas. Some people flashed vehicle headlights to signal the animals to move on. While most of the herd continued into the fields, one elephant stood on the road for a while before finally walking away.

Human-elephant conflict has been a long-standing problem in Uttarakhand. Elephants frequently leave the forest in search of food and raid agricultural fields, both eating and trampling crops. Despite measures by the Forest Department, preventing these incursions remains a challenge, forcing local communities to live in constant fear of elephant encounters.

In November, a wild elephant attacked and killed a 12-year-old boy near Rishikesh. According to forest officials, the boy was riding on a scooter with his parents along an unpaved road through the Kalu Wala forest area, heading home to Jolly Grant, when the elephant charged. 

It used its trunk to lift the child, who was seated between his parents, and repeatedly slammed him to the ground. The elephant eventually returned into the forest. The parents rushed their son to a hospital in Jolly Grant, where doctors declared him dead.