The reader is taken on a journey through India's natural history and the commencement of ecological studies in India by wildlife biologist Rauf Ali, starting with his meetings with Dr. Salim Ali, the renowned ornithologist who was also his grand-uncle.Rauf, one of the first people in India to earn a PhD in wildlife biology, studied the social interactions of bonnet macaques in the forests of Tamil Nadu's Mundanthurai district. As an ecologist, Rauf took on the work of defining Protected Areas in the Palani Hills of the Western Ghats after helping to establish one of India's first Masters programmes in ecology in the late 1980s. He was also one of the pioneers in conducting environmental studies in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and in this book, he exposes the shocking effects of introducing chital and other invasive species on the ecology.Anecdotes from a career spanning more than three decades are used to enliven the story, including tales of seeing wild elephants, navigating bureaucracy, and having whiskey-fueled brainstorming sessions with both students and Nobel laureates. Rauf describes the situation of environmental protection in India through these first-person experiences, as well as the complicated interactions between residents, wildlife experts, and forest officials. Running Away from Elephants is a quirky, frank, and useful addition to publications on Indian natural history.