A woman tourist was trampled to death by an elephant during a fight with another elephant at a wildlife Dubare Camp in Karnataka’s Kodagu district.
Thirty-three-year-old Jyunesh from Chennai was at the Dubare elephant camp watching the elephants being bathed when the accident happened. During the bathing session, an elephant named Kanchan attacked another elephant, Marthanda. The mahouts could not control the animals.
Elephant clash kill women at Dubare Camp
As the fight continued, one of the elephants lost its balance and fell on Jyunesh. In its attempts to stand up, Marthanda trampled her further.
Karnataka’s Forest, Ecology and Environment Minister Eshwar B Khandre expressed sadness over the woman’s death. He also instructed authorities to enforce strict safety rules around wildlife. He noted that even though captive elephants are trained, predicting animal behavior is still hard.
Urge tourists to stop touching elephants
He directed officials to stop tourists from touching elephant trunks, standing too close for photos, washing elephants, or feeding them. He further instructed officials to ensure tourists keep a safe distance from elephants and other wildlife at all times.
Last month, a 55-year-old man was trampled to death by a wild elephant in Chhattisgarh’s Gaurela-Pendra-Marwahi district. Panic spread in the area as the elephant roamed loose for the next few days.
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