A video circulating on social media misleads viewers by claiming that a herd of elephants was swept away from Nepal during the massive flash flood that tore through the Himalayan nation on Wednesday, killing over 200 people and leaving hundreds of others missing.
This video, along with the claim, has also been posted by several news outlets.
Here is the video:
An examination of official records and geographical data confirms that the incident did not originate in Nepal, nor were any elephants swept across international boundaries.
What actually happened?
Around 10:20am on Wednesday, the Katarniaghat forest range headquarters in Uttar Pradesh received a wireless message via the Kailashpuri barrier. A wild elephant herd, comprising three adults and two calves, was caught in the strong currents of the Kaudiyala river and was drifting toward the Girjapuri barrage.
The river's force overwhelmed the calves. The adult elephants who tried to shield and keep the calves afloat also struggled against the powerful flow.
Upon receiving the alert, the Katarniaghat range officer rushed to the Girjapuri barrage with a team of forest personnel. To halt the rapid water flow, the forest department contacted the Uttar Pradesh irrigation department.
Irrigation officials responded instantly by closing the barrage gates, slowing down the river's current. With the current stabilised, the adult elephants regained control and safely guided both young calves to shallow waters near the barrage.
Forest officials then used traditional drives featuring noise and commotion to guide the entire herd safely back into the Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary.
Geographical impossibility
The claim that these elephants were swept all the way from Nepal into India is geographically unsound. The satellite distance map highlights the massive scale of the region-stretching over hundreds of kilometers across Nepal's landscape down to Bardia and Katarniaghat. A herd of elephants simply could not be swept across continuous landmasses and mountain streams across such vast distances into the Kaudiyala river without being noticed or stranded long before reaching Girjapuri.