A wild elephant in Kerala’s Munnar, dubbed ‘Padayappa’ by locals,
attacked a KSRTC bus and cracked its windshield glass on Wednesday evening. The
elephant stayed on the road for a while before moving on.

According to accounts, the bus, which had 50 passengers, was
travelling from Munnar to Udumalpet when it was attacked by the tusker. The
whole thing was caught on video. Supriya Sahu, an IAS officer, later shared it
on Twitter.

“Don’t know who the driver of this government bus is but he is
certainly Mr Cool. The way he handled the supervision check by Mr Elephant, it
was like business as usual between them,” wrote Sahu.

Social media users praised the driver for remaining calm and
handling the situation.

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According to reports, this was the second time in a week that
the  tusker attacked automobiles on the road. Padayappa pushed a tractor
off the road at Kadalar estate in the Kannan Devan Tea fields near Munnar last
week. The tractor had been pushed 50 feet off the road by the tusker. 

Environmentalists have sought an investigation into the elephant’s
changing behaviour. The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’
district secretary, M N Jayachandran, said he will send a memorandum to the
chief wildlife warden.

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Apparently, the elephant has been sighted numerous times
before these incidents. Padayappa and its family were seen frolicking in
the reservoir when tourists gathered at Mattupetty dam. Padayappa was the first
to enter, followed by a calf and its mother. Visitors took pictures and videos
of the elephants having a good time in the water.

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