Tourist Trampled By Elephant After Reportedly Trying To Snap A Selfie In Shocking Video

Disturbing footage captures the chaotic moments after a man reportedly tried to take a selfie with a wild elephant

A tourist’s day turned into a nightmare when he was violently trampled by an elephant after reportedly attempting to get a selfie with the huge animal.

Shocking video taken by stunned witnesses shows the terrifying moment the massive elephant chased him down and stomped over his body as he tried desperately to run away.

During the chaotic scene on Sunday (10 August), the man somehow ended up with his pants and underwear around his ankles, adding embarrassment to what was already a life-threatening situation.

Local reports identified the tourist as R. Basavaraju. Authorities allege he trespassed into a protected forest area near a temple in Karnataka, in southwest India.

Witnesses claim he was spotted ‘trying to take a selfie’ with the wild elephant just moments before it suddenly charged toward him in front of a shocked crowd.

In the video that appears to capture the dramatic sequence of events, the elephant is first seen standing in the middle of a road before it suddenly bolts toward a moving car, startling onlookers.

R.Basavaraju was seen running for his life as the elephant approached himViralPress

After the driver manages to swerve and avoid the animal, the elephant quickly changes course and heads straight for Basavaraju, who is already running for his life.

In his panic, he stumbles and falls onto the road, giving the elephant enough time to close in and trample over him with incredible force.

Karnataka is home to an estimated 30,000 wild elephants, each weighing up to an enormous 5,000 kg, making any close encounter extremely dangerous.

Incredibly, despite the force of the attack, Basavaraju managed to get back on his feet and escape the area, though he suffered serious injuries in the process.

Watch the intense moment here:

He was rushed to a hospital for treatment. Later, he was reportedly fined 25,000 Rupees (about $300 USD) and required to record a video confession admitting to his alleged actions.

In the recording, he stated he did not fully understand the safety rules regarding wild animals and urged other tourists never to repeat his mistake.

Eyewitness Daniel Osorio said the tourist had disturbed the elephant while it was calmly eating carrots by the roadside.

He explained that the animal appeared startled by the sudden bright light of a camera flash, which may have triggered its aggressive reaction toward Basavaraju.

“This incident is a strong reminder to follow the rules of the wildlife reserves and to let trained authorities, not people on foot, handle situations like this.” Osorio said.

Karnataka’s Forest Department called Basavaraju’s behavior ‘reckless’ and warned that stunts like this not only put human lives at risk but can also provoke wild animals into unpredictable and dangerous behavior.

Horrified bystanders in Karnataka, southwest India, captured the footageViralPress

This is not the first time India has seen an elephant attack make headlines. In 2022, a woman in the Mayurbhanj district was attacked twice by the same enraged elephant — first while she was alive, and shockingly again during her funeral.

The woman, identified as 68-year-old Maya Murmu, died from her injuries after the initial attack, only for the same elephant to return and disrupt her funeral ceremony.

Joyce Poole, research director at the Amboseli Elephant Research Project in Kenya, has explained that elephants are capable of holding grudges and seeking retribution.

“They are certainly intelligent enough, and have good enough memories, to take revenge.” she told The Times. “Wildlife managers may feel it is easier to just shoot so-called ‘problem’ elephants than face people’s wrath.”

“So an elephant is shot without realizing the possible consequences on the remaining family members, and the very real possibility of stimulating a cycle of violence.”

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