Watch: Wild elephant nearly tramples tourist trying to click its photo in Karnataka’s Bandipur National Park

A tourist in Bandipur National Park had a close brush with death after a wild tusker charged at him on Sunday along the national highway passing through the forest in Gundlupet taluk, Chamarajanagar district.

According to officials, the man—reportedly from Kerala—had stepped out of his vehicle to photograph an elephant eating tomatoes. The act provoked the animal, which lunged at him, attempting to trample him. The tourist managed to escape with injuries.

Forest authorities are now trying to trace him to confirm his identity and gather more details.


A video of the incident, shared by The Times of India, drew sharp criticism online.


"Why is anyone outside their vehicle on this stretch? There are hundreds of signboards saying no parking, no feeding, no photos. Yet people act like it’s a zoo," one user wrote.

Another remarked, "We’ve already encroached on their land and disturbed their peace. The elephant was still kind, especially during the Ganesh festival season."

Others called the man’s actions reckless, with one user saying, "In a reserve forest, you have no right to be out in the open. He got what he deserved."

Meanwhile, the Karanataka Forest Department has secured approval to capture and relocate yet another wild elephant that has been terrorizing residents of Narasimharajapura taluk for months. Nine trained elephants from the Bandipur and Nagarahole tiger reserves will be deployed for the rescue operation, which is expected to begin on Monday.

The tusker, estimated to be around 25 years old, has been wandering through villages including Dwaramakki, Kote Bailu, Guddadmane, Malali, Neralekoppa, Halandooru, Gandhigram, Banagi, and Madboor, damaging crops such as arecanut, coconut, and banana, and uprooting irrigation pipelines. According to locals, the animal has even ventured into villages during the day, sparking fear among schoolchildren, the elderly, and farm workers.

Villagers from Badagabailu, Nerekoppa, and Alanduru petitioned the department to move the elephant to a distant forest. A report by the Deputy Conservator of Forests, Koppa, confirmed that the lone tusker prefers roaming in private lands rather than staying in the forest, posing a constant threat to public safety and livelihoods.