A young elephant got into a tense standoff with a few villagers in east India, who tried to tease her herd. <br /><br />The herd had gathered near Champua in Keonjhar district in Odisha state on April 13. <br /><br />A few local men approached the herd and threw sticks and stones at the animals.<br /><br />Sensing that the villagers did not pose a threat, the older elephants ignored their taunts.<br /><br />But a young female elephant around 15 years of age got provoked.<br /><br />She charged at them but inexplicably held back from attacking them. <br /><br />Realising that she was only mock charging, the emboldened men even managed to hit her with sticks as she retreated. <br /><br />The standoff continued for long enough to make the other elephants look concerned though luckily for humans they decided to keep the distance. <br /><br />Wildlife expert Subhendu Mallik said: ''There are many incidents of local men teasing elephants to make videos for social media. Forest officials should act sternly to stop these irresponsible acts.''
