Jaan Bachi tho Laakho paaye - close call

[Hymakar Valluru]

On saturday afternoon it was raining by the time we entered the forest.. We had entered the B Zone through the last gate almost close to Kerala border..

The moment we entered we saw three elephants two adults and one calf.. we stopped at a fair distance and started clicking images of the elephants.. this guy for some strange reason go agitated making huge trumpet sounds gave a mock charge... knowing its mock charge our driver waited for it come close and move back.

It turned back after the mock charge went back some 30 meters and then turned again towards the jeep curling its trunk at a reasonable pace started moving.. we realized its not a mock charge anymore and moved back to a fair distance to allow its space..

This one this time did not go back but walked across and came towards the side of our jeep at 10 to 15 meter distance and waited for 2 mins then made a serious charge again and chased our jeep for around 30 mtrs.

EXIF :

Canon 1100 D
55-250mm lens
Clicked at 55mm :-)
AV mode
TV : 1/1328
AV: f/4
ISO-400

[Mrudul Godbole]

Elephants are getting more and more agitated these days, maybe due to more tourists or more traffic. The charging pose has come out well. Good details. Wish the hint of the car on the left bottom was not present, but with the car reversing it would have been difficult to compose. Nicely captured. Thanks for sharing.

[Sabyasachi Patra]

Adults, especially the matriarch will charge at vehicles without any provocation. In one instance an elephant calf was hit by a vehicle and the elephants kept on charging at all vehicles. Normally these are gentle giants and have great intelligence and patience. If they would have had half the ego we have, then many thousand people venturing into the forest would have got trampled. A vertical composition will also work here.