Tourist narrowly escapes wild elephant attack in Bandipur National Park; Fined Rs 20,000

A widely shared video of the attack shows the elephant standing between stopped vehicles and onlookers and then attacking the tourist walking on the road. As the man tried to flee, he tripped and fell, and that’s when the elephant stepped on him.

Bandipur: A tourist had a narrow escape after being attacked by a wild elephant in the Bandipur National Park in Gundlupet taluk of Chamarajanagar district.

According to forest officials, the incident took place on the national highway passing through the Bandipur forest on Monday. The tourist,named basavraj from who hails from Karnataka had stopped to click a photograph of a wild elephant teasing him while he was eating tomatoes on the roadside.

The elephant retreated before he could be trampled under its feet, helping him escape. He was rushed to a hospital for treatment. He was fined for Rs 20,000 for this offence.

A widely shared video of the attack shows the elephant standing between stopped vehicles and onlookers and then attacking the tourist walking on the road. As the man tried to flee, he tripped and fell, and that's when the elephant stepped on him.

Forest department officials say, "This is not a wildlife moment, it is a tragedy. Wild will be wild. Respect their space and strength. They deserve their distance. Remember that a tusker attack is unstoppable. Keep away from them. Losing your life for a photo is not worth it. Life is more precious."

"Very sad incident. It could have been avoided. There is a safe distance for every animal. We should always follow it," said IFS officer Parveen Kaswan.

Human-Elephant Encounters

Bandipur Karnataka and Mudduhallai Tamil Nadu are part of a wildlife corridor and a tourist destination. Human-elephant encounters are common here.

In February this year, an elephant chased two tourists when they tried to take a selfie with it. Both managed to escape safely.

Another Incident

In the Valparai range of Tiger Valley in Coimbatore district, 77-year-old German tourist Michael Jurssen was killed in an elephant attack while travelling on a motorcycle in February. Reportedly, Jurssen had ignored warnings from fellow travellers before trying to cross a road where the elephant was present.

Earlier this year, in Kerala, an elephant used in a religious festival mauled at least 24 people, killing one. Footage of the incident showed the elephant grabbing a man with its trunk, tossing him in the air and slamming him to the ground.