Elephant Attack in Bandipur: Men Escape 'Death' After Attempting a Selfie with a Charging Jumbo

Going on a tour to a national park or zoo is a dreamy escape for many, but the nightmare of being chased and attacked by an animal is something no one wants to face after all, who wants to get trapped in the adrenaline rush and the breath-stealing moment when the line between life and death blurs. This spine-chilling scenario nearly claimed the life of one of two men who found themselves in a perilous situation, narrowly escaping the clutches of a charging elephant on National Highway 766, cutting through Bandipur National Park in Kerala. The hair-raising episode, captured on video, has gone viral on the internet.

The occurrence, dated January 31, was documented by Savad, an IT engineer in Qatar and a resident of Kerala’s Kannothumala village. While travelling to Ooty with his family, Savad witnessed an elephant charging at some commuters and recorded the entire incident. In the video, an elephant appeared on the highway where two men were allegedly attempting to take a selfie with it.

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Unable to return to their car, they began running with the elephant in pursuit, while the car continued moving alongside. The chase persisted until one of the men fell to the ground. The elephant paused momentarily, attempting to strike the fallen man, who miraculously survived the attack, as the elephant then retreated to the forest from the road.

Although both men survived the elephant encounter, one of them sustained visible injuries, seen crawling into the bushes to evade the elephant and, potentially, death.

Here’s the Viral Video:

The video has generated significant traction on social media, with users criticising the men for disregarding guidelines for travelling through forest roads and disturbing the animals in their natural habitat. Comments ranged from cautionary wisdom like, “The reason why you shouldn’t mess with the largest land animal on planet earth,” to scolding sentiments such as, “When you don’t have common sense that you should not get down from the vehicles in the forest zone, the expectations will be more than this. Don’t blame the wild animals for this, blame the person who get out of the vehicle in the forest area and seize that vehicle,” with a witty quip declaring, “The elephant has more sense than him.”

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In response to the incident, officials underline the severe consequences of trespassing on forbidden forest land, with potential imprisonment of up to three years or a hefty fine of Rs 1. lakh, or both. The Karnataka Forest Department has initiated an inquiry into the matter, actively working to identify the two individuals involved.