Human-animal conflict: Elephant chases people in Mysore

A video of an elephant causing chaos in a school in Mysore, Karnataka has gone viral. The agitated elephant is seen chasing the locals. The incident is yet another example of increasing human-animal conflicts. According to a report from WWF and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), elephants in India are restricted to just 3-4 percent of their original habitat. Their remaining range is plagued by deforestation, invasive species, and climate change. This is pushing elephants to seek resources outside of forests and protected areas. Amidst this journey of survival, conflicts take place. As per the report, 2,361 people and over 500 elephants were killed as a result of conflict between 2015-2019.