Motorists’ narrow escape from charging elephant Sumesh Rajan 25 November 2021 With widespread human expansion into the far reaches of jungles in the name of development, and wildlife facing shrinking habitats, man-animal conflicts are on the rise. This endangers both the wildlife and human beings alike. Roads passing through forest areas are prone to such encounters. In one such instance, a motorist driving on a road on the forest stretch near Athirappilly in Kerala state of India, in the night had a scare when a tusker came charging at his vehicle. The video taken by the person accompanying the vehicle driver presents a scary picture. As the vehicle passes through the unlit road, vehicles coming from the opposite side speed off in a hurry sending alarm bells in the car’s occupants, one of whom shouts at the driver to back down as a tusker comes charging at them. The driver slows down, and immediately reverses the vehicle even as the elephant comes charging. Luckily, though it was
Forest officials rescue woman and her infant from raging waterfall Sumesh Rajan Mumbai: 28 October 20211 In a heroic rescue operation, without giving a thought to their own safety or life, forest department staff in the state of Tamil Nadu rescued a woman and her infant from a waterfall whose water level suddenly increased due to inclement weather. The incident took place at Aanaivari Muttal waterfalls, a popular tourist spot in Atur Taluka of Salem district in Tamil Nadu on October 25. The whole nail-biting rescue operation was captured on video by a bystander. The video shows a woman clutching her baby, balancing on a rocky mountain ledge on one side and the raging and surging waterfall on the other side, making it impossible for her to climb up. The nearby forest department staff who had been alerted to her plight rushed to her aid, and descended the hill to rescue the precariously clutching mother and infant duo. While a couple of officials grab hold of the baby and tak