'Hero banne ke chakkar me ...': Kerala tourist chased and pinned by elephant in Karnataka's tiger reserve | Watch

Man trips and falls on the tarmac as the elephant closes in

A tourist from Kerala narrowly escaped with his life after a wild elephant charged and attacked him on a busy stretch of Karnataka’s Bandipur Tiger Reserve, News18 reported. The incident, caught on video and widely shared across social media platforms, triggered a wave of public criticism and renewed calls for responsible wildlife tourism.

The shocking footage, which rapidly went viral, shows the tourist standing near roadside bushes as a tusker comes hurtling across the road. A white car, seen in the video, brakes sharply to let the elephant cross. Without warning, the animal turns and charges at the man, who attempts to flee in panic.

Risking your life for a selfie isn’t worth it.

A Kerala tourist in Bandipur learned the hard way after stepping out of his vehicle for a photo, only to be charged and trampled by a wild elephant.

Lucky to survive. 🐘🚫📸 #WildlifeSafety #Bandipur pic.twitter.com/1LJ3gYtGgz

— Gautam (@gautyou) August 11, 2025

In a heart-stopping sequence, the man trips and falls on the tarmac as the elephant closes in. Bystanders and motorists can be heard shouting in alarm as the tusker appears to pin the hapless tourist down with its foot. Remarkably, the elephant retreats moments later, allowing the man to make a narrow escape. News18 reports that the tourist sustained injuries and was subsequently taken to hospital for treatment, with forest officials currently working to identify him.

A second angle, filmed from inside the same white car, provided an even closer account of the dangerous encounter. Captioned with a sharp rebuke about the dangers of prioritising selfies over safety, the video fuelled heated reactions across social media.

Many users criticised the tourist’s recklessness. One viewer commented, “The thing I hate most about some Indians is when it comes to wildlife. These duffers can’t just sit and wait when an elephant is on the street. But they will drive by it." Another post read, “Jyada hero banne ke chakkar me aisa hi hota hai (This is what happens when you try to act like a hero)."

Others echoed warnings about ignoring the numerous ‘No Parking/No loitering’ signs along the Bandipur-Mudumalai-Masinagudi stretch, lambasting “selfie crazy idiots” for risking lives and disturbing wildlife.