A motorcyclist narrowly escaped death after a wild elephant reportedly trampled his chest and stomach twice while he was travelling along a highway in Uttarakhand, India, early Thursday.
The frightening incident occurred near Nepali Farm on the Haridwar-Dehradun Highway, where the rider came face-to-face with the elephant as he made his way along the road.
The animal suddenly approached the motorcyclist, leaving him lying on the highway as it walked over his body.
The incident was captured on camera by Shiva Sharma, a taxi driver and digital content creator who happened to be passing through the area.
Footage shared on his Facebook account showed the elephant stepping over the man while several members of the public shouted in an attempt to drive the animal away.
The elephant eventually crossed the highway’s safety barrier and disappeared towards the forest.
Once the animal had left, members of the public rushed to help the motorcyclist.
Sharma said elephants frequently appeared unexpectedly along the Haridwar-Dehradun route, posing a danger to motorists.
He also expressed shock that the rider had survived the frightening encounter without sustaining any injuries.
The highway runs close to Rajaji Tiger Reserve, a protected habitat for elephants and various other wildlife species.
Elephants appearing near roads in the area is not unusual, particularly along routes that overlap with their natural movement paths.
Jolly Grant Airport and its surrounding areas have also been identified as sensitive zones for elephant movement and form part of an elephant corridor.
