Munnar is home to numerous herds of elephants, as much as it is a much-loved hill station for tourists from across the globe. Visitors and natives encountering these majestic tuskers and managing narrow escapes is a frequent occurrence now and the videos of the same go viral on social media too. Quite a few times, the elephants have also taken the lives of unsuspecting travellers, who either panic or end up provoking the elephants who attack them or their vehicles, in turn.

Man-animal conflicts can be avoided to a certain extent if tourists are aware of how to conduct themselves when they encounter elephants on the road or otherwise, out of the blue. Wildlife enthusiast K R Vancheeswaran offers a few tips to conduct themselves in similar scenarios. 'Do not honk or switch off the engine' Vancheeswaran says that it's important to give animals their space while travelling through roads which can have their presence.

He explains, "Rather than driving distracted by loud music or chatter, be alert when you drive through roads that usually see the presence of elephants, especially those through forests. Follow the speed limits specified for the roads and pay attention to markers on animal crossings. Most often, stopping the vehicle at a safe distance of 100 metres or more is enough to let the animal cross.

If there is enough space and not too much traffic, you can also consider turning around and leaving the spot in the opposite direction. Do not honk, as it can irritate the animal..