Viral Video Shows 6 Wild Elephants Creating Chaos At Haridwar Highway

Rising incidents of wild elephants entering neighbourhoods in Uttarakhand's Haridwar district are heightening worries about human-elephant conflict. Forest officials report more herds leaving protected zones and moving towards highways, villages, and farms, disrupting traffic and daily life and leaving residents anxious about safety.

The pressure is greatest around Rajaji National Park, where elephant corridors lie close to fast-growing settlements. Locals say farms, roads, and houses now sit near traditional elephant routes, so encounters that were once rare are turning into almost routine events during certain seasons.

Human-elephant conflict on highways near Rajaji National Park

In the latest incident, a herd of six elephants appeared without warning from the forest edge near Rajaji National Park and stepped onto the Haridwar-Laksar highway. Vehicles stopped in both directions, and traffic remained blocked for several minutes while people watched from a distance.

A video from the scene shows the elephants walking in a line along the highway, moving past shuttered shops and then towards nearby homes and fields. Many motorists switched off engines and some flashed headlights, trying to guide the animals away. Most elephants entered the fields, while one stayed on the road briefly.

Human-elephant conflict and recent fatal attack near Rishikesh

Human-elephant conflict has troubled Uttarakhand for many years, especially in forest fringes where elephants search for food. Herds frequently raid farms, eating stored grain and destroying crops underfoot. Forest Department teams use patrols and warning systems, yet stopping animals from leaving dense forest cover remains difficult.

The risks became clear in November when a wild elephant killed a 12-year-old boy near Rishikesh. According to forest officials, the child was riding a scooter with parents on an unpaved road through the Kalu Wala forest, returning to Jolly Grant.

Officials said the elephant suddenly charged the scooter and used its trunk to lift the child, seated between the parents, then hurled the child to the ground several times. The animal then went back into the forest, while the parents took the boy to a hospital in Jolly Grant, where doctors declared the child dead.