Watch: Wild elephant kills German tourist in India
Female African elephants, Sonia and Malka, roam in their enclosure at Safari Park where Madhubala is expected to arrive too from the Karachi Zoo. Photo: Express
A tragic incident occurred in southern Tamil Nadu, India, when a 77-year-old German tourist was killed after being attacked by a wild elephant in a forest reserve.
The attack took place on Tuesday evening in Tiger Valley, a popular area known for its wildlife, when the tourist was riding a hired scooter along a hilly forest road.
According to police reports, the tourist ignored warnings from fellow travelers who had already stopped at a safe distance after spotting the wild elephant.
Despite the clear presence of the elephant, the tourist decided to continue riding his scooter towards the animal, honking loudly in an attempt to drive it away. This decision proved fatal when the elephant, agitated by the disturbance, attacked the tourist, tossing him into the woods.
The victim, who sustained severe injuries, was quickly taken to a nearby hospital, but he was declared dead on the way.
Local police officer Uma stated that they had tried reaching out to the tourist’s family, but no one responded to their calls.
Forest officer G. Venkatesh commented that the tourist’s failure to heed the warnings of other travelers and his decision to approach the elephant directly led to the fatal accident.
In India, where human-elephant conflicts are a common issue due to the encroachment of human settlements into wildlife areas, incidents like this are unfortunately frequent.
India is home to an estimated 30,000 wild Asian elephants, and while these majestic creatures are protected in forest reserves, their interaction with humans often leads to dangerous confrontations, especially when people unknowingly venture too close to the animals.