Elephant collects cash from truck drivers on highway in northern India

In an extraordinary spectacle, an elephant, along with its owner, paraded down a highway to collect proceeds in northern India’s Bihar.

The animal was spotted on July 26, walking along State Highway 73 in Saran’s Mashrakh.

According to local reports, the elephant’s owner has been struggling with finances ever since the country went into lockdown amid COVID-19.

Unable to fend for himself and his elephant, he came up with the idea of parading down the highway in the hope of collecting donations.

Santosh Kumar Gupta, a 44-year-old local journalist, who was on his way to Mashrakh to cover the flooding, captured the unusual sight.

Footage shows truck drivers approaching the famed animal and extending their hands out to donate money.

The elephant uses its trunk to clutch the cash being offered and hands the amount over to its owner, before approaching other vehicles passing by.