A young elephant got into a tense standoff with a few villagers in east India, who tried to tease her herd.

The herd had gathered near Champua in Keonjhar district in Odisha state on April 13.

A few local men approached the herd and threw sticks and stones at the animals.

Sensing that the villagers did not pose a threat, the older elephants ignored their taunts.

But a young female elephant around 15 years of age got provoked.

She charged at them but inexplicably held back from attacking them.

Realising that she was only mock charging, the emboldened men even managed to hit her with sticks as she retreated.

The standoff continued for long enough to make the other elephants look concerned though luckily for humans they decided to keep the distance.

Wildlife expert Subhendu Mallik said: ''There are many incidents of local men teasing elephants to make videos for social media. Forest officials should act sternly to stop these irresponsible acts.''