Video: Outrage as TikToker filmed scaring away elephant  

A viral video of a TikToker attempting to scare away an elephant by driving his vehicle too close to the wild animal has caused a furore on social media with people seeking action against him.

The TikToker, identified as @shashikagimhandha, filmed the entire episode in Sri Lanka showing the moment when the driver chanced upon a wild elephant on a road at night. Instead of waiting for the animal to pass, the driver charged towards it in a teasing manner.

Visibly scared, the animal begins to back off but the person kept driving towards it even as the hapless creature kept trumpeting in distress and tried to seek refuge behind a tree.

The matter was first highlighted from a social media handle of Poorna Seneviratne who said: “If you don’t have an ounce of brains to not realize that this is absolutely disgusting and wrong, you need to be absolutely destroyed.”

If you don’t have an ounce of brains to not realize that this is absolutely disgusting and wrong, you need to be absolutely destroyed. DO NOT endanger and disturb wildlife for stupid social media views. It ain’t cool. This guy needs to be found and dealt with. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/R5SmMMWGNx

— Poorna Seneviratne (@PoornaSenev) February 3, 2022

The local authorities have taken notice of the matter involving an elephant and a TikToker and had forwarded it for action to the wildlife authorities.

Not the first time this has happen in SL and it’s time we stop this playful behaviour.. let the animals live peacefully. https://t.co/hJScE7XY5t

— Mahela Jayawardena (@MahelaJay) February 4, 2022