A Sri Lankan cab driver was ordered to pay a nearly $1,000 fine, because he scared an elephant by tooting his car’s horn and flashing the lights while driving through a protected wildlife area, officials said on Friday.
The offender was arrested after he posted a video of the encounter on Facebook and TikTok. Wildlife officials tracked him down and produced him before the Kekirawa Magistrate Court, in north central Sri Lanka, on Thursday.
He was fined 200,000 Sri Lankan Rupees ($987).
The driver committed the offence on December 25, 2021, while on the main Trincomalee Habarana road, about 185 kilometres north-east of the capital.
The suspect was arrested only earlier this week after the social media posts drew the attention of wildlife officials.
The video showed the visibly scared elephant taking cover behind a tree.
Source: GNA