Elephant attacks two-wheeler in Jalpaiguri, munches on potato chips and popcorn

 The elephant damaged the two-wheeler and then used its trunk to take out the food items from a bag

A still from a video of the elephant with the bag of snacks in Ranichera tea estate of Jalpaiguri on Sunday afternoon: Telegraph picture

TT Correspondent, Jalpaiguri, 22.08.23 : A wild elephant attacked a two-wheeler on a road moving through a tea estate in Jalpaiguri and devoured the snacks that the rider was carrying with him on Sunday afternoon.

Samir Banerjee, who was riding the two-wheeler, gathered the courage to shoot a video of the elephant gulping biscuits, potato chips and popcorn.

Sources said Banerjee, an employee of Ranicherra tea estate in Malbazar block of Jalpaiguri, bought the food items from a local market and was on way to the tea garden. While he was crossing Bhuttabari forest, the elephant blocked his way.

Showing presence of mind, Banerjee left his scooter and ran away from the animal. The elephant damaged the two-wheeler and then used its trunk to take out the food items from a bag. It ate all the snacks, leaving Banerjee, recording the sight from a distance, "baffled". It then left the spot.

Saved on tracks

Railway employees running a container train managed to save a wild elephant from being hit on Monday morning.

Sources said loco pilot D. Singh and assistant loco pilot P. Das, driving the train through the route, spotted an elephant very close to the tracks at the Chalsa-Nagrakata stretch through the Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary. They immediately applied brakes to stop the train. The elephant crossed the tracks safely.