Elephant Chases and Crushes Tourist Who Tried to Take a Selfie in India

Elephant crushes reckless tourist

Attack caught on shocking video

Man fined after surviving

According to Milenio, a selfie attempt nearly ended in tragedy in southern India, when a tourist was violently attacked by an elephant after getting too close to the animal during a guided tour.

The man, identified as R. Basavaraju, got out of a tourist vehicle to take a close-up photo of the pachyderm, never imagining that he would trigger an attack that was caught on video.

The incident took place near a temple, where the animal was roaming free and had come down to the road to eat carrots that had fallen along the way.

The tourists were watching from a distance, but Basavaraju decided to break the tour rules and walk toward the elephant, hoping to capture an exclusive moment for his social media.

The exact moment of the attack

Elephant Chases and Crushes Tourist – PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

Witnesses said that the elephant seemed calm at first, while chewing carrots without showing signs of alarm.

However, everything changed in seconds when the man got too close to the pachyderm, which felt threatened by the invasive presence.

The animal reacted immediately with violence, lifting its trunk and making loud noises before charging at the tourist.

In the midst of panic, Basavaraju tried to run for safety, but he tripped and fell to the ground, left completely vulnerable to the animal’s weight and strength.

Elephant crushes tourist and injures him

| A tourist tried to flee from an enraged elephant, but tripped and was trampled by the animal in the Bandipur Tiger Reserve. pic.twitter.com/7piU2gkAm1

— Actualidad Viral (@ActualidaViral) August 12, 2025

The footage shows how the elephant chased the man and repeatedly crushed him with its front legs.

In one of the strikes, the pachyderm tore the tourist’s clothes, leaving him exposed while continuing to beat him brutally.

The attack sparked desperate screams among the other visitors, who watched helplessly without being able to intervene.

Tour guides tried to drive the elephant away with shouts and gestures, but the animal took several seconds to stop, while the victim lay motionless on the ground.

A lesson in recklessness

Despite the violence of the attack, R Basavaraju managed to survive miraculously, though with serious injuries to several parts of his body.

Paramedics transported him to a nearby hospital, where he received immediate medical attention and was reported stable after several hours.

The scene triggered intense debate on social media, where the video quickly went viral and drew divided reactions between those who condemned the tourist’s recklessness and those who lamented the lack of safety measures.

Local authorities confirmed that, in addition to his injuries, the man was fined the equivalent of $285 for violating wildlife protection regulations.