This is the heart-stopping moment an overconfident tourist learned the hard way that elephants are not here for your Instagram clout. R. Basavaraju, a visitor in southwest India, ended up trampled, half-naked, and in the hospital after trying to snap a selfie with a massive wild elephant near a temple in Karnataka on Sunday.
The now-viral footage, filmed by shocked bystanders, shows the animal calmly standing at the roadside before suddenly raising its trunk and charging across the road, straight at Basavaraju. In a panic, he bolts into traffic, only to trip and faceplant onto the tarmac. The elephant catches up in seconds, stomping on him repeatedly and stripping off his trousers and underwear in the process.
Witness Daniel Osorio said, per Mail Online, that the elephant had been peacefully munching carrots until Basavaraju got too close, camera in hand. The flash apparently startled the animal, turning a quiet roadside snack into a full-blown stampede. “This incident is a strong reminder to follow the rules of the wildlife reserves and to let trained authorities, not people on foot, handle situations like this,” Osorio said.
Video of an elephant attacking a man who got too close to it to take a photo. The man got injured. The incident happened on NH-67 in #Karnataka’s Bandipur Tiger Reserve. @timesofindia pic.twitter.com/DMprXC6R6s
— TOI Bengaluru (@TOIBengaluru) August 11, 2025
Against all odds, Basavaraju survived the attack. He was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries and later fined 25,000 Rupees, around $285, for trespassing into the restricted forest area. In a court-ordered apology video, he admitted he had no idea about wildlife safety rules and urged others not to repeat his mistake.
The Forest Department was blunt in its statement: “Such reckless stunts not only endanger human lives but also provoke unpredictable and dangerous animal behaviour.” India’s wild elephant population stands at about 30,000—the largest in the world—and they account for 60 percent of the planet’s entire Asian elephant numbers. Most live peacefully, but experts say they can become highly aggressive if threatened or provoked.
The footage ends with the elephant pausing over its downed target before slowly trotting away, leaving a bruised, battered, and very lucky Basavaraju to scramble to his feet and limp to safety.
Happy World Elephant day. We’ve been involved in the conservation of the Sumatra elephant for many years, aren’t they gorgeous. pic.twitter.com/1ZZRRYEOAG
— Robert Irwin (@RobertIrwin) August 12, 2025
And if you think this was a one-off, think again. Elephant attacks in India have made headlines before. Just last year, at the Amer Fort in Jaipur, a popular tourist spot, a Russian woman was violently attacked by a female elephant named Gouri during a ride session.
Eyewitness video captured the terrifying scene as Gouri grabbed the tourist with her trunk, swung her around like a ragdoll, and slammed her to the ground, breaking her leg. Another person was injured when they were thrown off the elephant’s back during the chaos.
Animal welfare group PETA later revealed that the same elephant had attacked a shopkeeper just months earlier, breaking his ribs and leg. They warned that elephants used for entertainment often suffer mistreatment and can lash out under stress.
The lesson here? Wild animals are not props. Whether it’s in a forest reserve or a tourist attraction, keeping your distance could be the difference between a great holiday photo and a hospital bed.
