- A family led by Father Regi Paul encountered wild elephants on Sulthan Bathery-Gundlupet road
- Three elephants crossed the road causing vehicles to stop and wait for them to move away
- After the elephants left, vehicles including Father Paul's moved forward cautiously
A routine family journey turned into a frightening encounter with wild elephants on the Kerala's Sulthan Bathery-Gundlupet road after a church vicar and his family narrowly escaped a potentially dangerous situation.
Father Regi Paul, vicar of St Thomas Jacobite Church in Thrikkaipeetta, was travelling with his family when their vehicle came dangerously close to a herd of wild elephants.
The narrow escape was caught on tape.
The incident occurred at around 4.30 pm on Thursday, as the family was returning from Gundlupet.
Several vehicles had stopped after three elephants emerged from below the road and began crossing it. Drivers waited as the animals moved away from the roadway and disappeared towards the forest.
Believing the danger had passed, the vehicles gradually began moving again.
A traveller's vehicle proceeded first, followed by an Ertiga.
Father Regi Paul and his family were travelling in the vehicle immediately behind them.
Within seconds, however, the situation changed.
One of the elephants suddenly returned towards the road and moved dangerously close to the Ertiga. Vehicles behind it had little room to manoeuvre, leaving Father Regi Paul and his family just metres away from the animal.
What initially appeared to be a routine wildlife sighting quickly became a frightening close encounter.
Father Regi Paul later said that the family escaped without injuries and explained what had occurred during those tense moments. Videos of the incident began circulating on social media, prompting criticism and attacks against the family over their actions during the encounter as well.
