Elephant pops up to pay unexpected visit to Guwahati army public school, leaves peacefully on being politely directed to leave

A sudden but lucky visit was made by an elephant to the Army Public School in the Satgaon area of Guwahati, surprising personnel momentarily before it left the school peacefully without causing any harm to anyone and without causing any accident or damage.

The school, being in an army camp and in the Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary, is not used to such visits. However, the visitation has made front-page headlines due to the amicable manner with which the affair had been handled by school authorities. A cell phone clip posted on social networking websites captures one of the school employees entreating the elephant to withdraw gracefully, saying "Maharaj, jaayeae" (Maharaj, get away), softly and calmly. The elephant, otherwise quite distressed, then halted and retreated back away from the complex by itself. Although an on-campus sighting of a wild elephant would otherwise get everyone's goat, the staff response as well as that of the animal itself was quite laid back. There was no harm or injury inflicted, and no response on the part of forest authorities was taken since the animal disappeared in the nearby forest cover moments later.

The locals were not surprised since they clarified that periodic elephant appearances are normal in the area, particularly at the peripheries of the forests. The Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary at the city peripheries is a known spot where elephants typically migrate from in quest of water or food every now and then.

This episode once again showed the thin line of separation between urbanization and ecosystems. Conservationists have been pointing to the widening belt of overlap between human habitation and wildlife corridors as an increasingly growing problem in Assam and elsewhere in northeast India.

Even with the risks, this peaceful moment is now the symbol of life—and proof of the magic still available among human beings and nature when perceived in reservation and sensitivity.