Family of eight has a narrow escape; KSRTC driver helps by honking, diverting the elephant’s attention
An eight-member family from Kadur (near Chikkamagaluru) had a miraculous escape on Saturday morning after a tusker attacked the Maruti Omni in which they were travelling near Kukke Subrahmanya.
According to sources, it was the presence of mind of a KSRTC bus driver which helped them escape. Some of the passengers sustained minor injuries, while the mini-van has been completely destroyed.
Recounting the horror, Girish, the driver of the car, told BM: “It was a miraculous escape. We were travelling from Dharmasthala to Subrahmanya. At 7.15 am, when I spotted the tusker, I decided to reverse the vehicle. However, the elephant spotted us and came charging towards the car. Even before we could get down, the elephant charged at the vehicle and repeatedly rammed it with its tusk. The whole family was screaming. We all thought we would be killed.”
However, a KSRTC bus arrived in the nick of time. According to passengers, the KSRTC bus driver, who noticed the elephant attacking the car, honked repeatedly to scare the tusker away.
“Luckily, the elephant panicked and walked away into the bushes. Since the van was damaged severely, passengers had to leave it at the spot and take a bus,” said a source.
Forest department officials have asked tourists/travellers, especially those travelling in cars, not to stop in forest stretches of the highways.
Last year, a family, which tried to click a selfie with an elephant in Bandipur, had a close shave when a pachyderm charged at their car and took away their bag containing debit cards, cash and gold.
