What would one do on seeing a wild elephant approach from the front out of nowhere? Run for life! That is what most would do, but not Thrissur native Datsun who calmly stood his ground when he suddenly came face to face with an elephant while riding through the Athirappally-Valparai forest route in this central Kerala district.
According to a recent viral video of the close shave with death that Datsun had, the wild elephant strolled up to him as he sat atop his bike, trumpeted, hit the front of the two-wheeler with its tusks and then turned back to where it came from.
The video, recorded by bikers who were some distance behind him, became viral and was aired on some TV channels including Manorama News.
The bikers who were recording it could be heard telling him to speed away on his bike, but Datsun switched off his two-wheeler and remained where he was.
Luckily for him, his decision paid off and he escaped with his life.
Speaking to a TV channel, Datsun -- a tile worker -- said that coming round a bend on the Athirappally-Valparai forest route, he suddenly saw the elephant a few metres in front of him and immediately brought the vehicle to a halt and also switched off his bike -- a Royal Enfield Bullet.
"I could not go forward. I could not go back also as the road was downhill in front. I could not do anything. So I switched off the bike completely and sat there motionless," he said.
Seeing him, the elephant came towards him and on reaching his bike hit it slightly twice with its tusks, ran its trunk over him and the bike and as he showed his right palm to the elephant, to show he is not a threat, the animal turned back, he said.
"Had I tried to ditch my bike and run away, it would have surely chased me down with ease and trampled me to death. I escaped with my life as I kept quiet and calm and did not make any sudden moves," he said, recounting his near death experience.
After the tusker turned back, I switched on my bike and as I rode away, the elephant raised its trunk in salute and also trumpeted, he said.
The bikers behind me shared the video they had recorded and when my family -- comprising his wife and two children -- saw it, they said I escaped because of God's grace, Datsun told the TV channel.
In such situations if we remain calm and show the elephant the respect it deserves, it won't harm us, is the advice he offered to anyone finding themselves in such a predicament in future.
However, if we start taking photos, loudly honking the horn or flashing the lights, then the elephant too would get agitated, he cautioned.
Datsun was returning to his house in Mala area of Thrissur from Valparai in Tamil Nadu, where he is a tile worker at an under-construction hotel, around 5 PM when the incident occurred.
"I have never been this close to even a domesticated elephant and there I was face to face with a huge wild tusker," he added.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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