New Delhi: A day after a 33-year-old tourist from Chennai was tragically crushed to death during a violent fight between two trained elephants at Karnataka‘s popular Dubare elephant camp, forest officials confirmed on Tuesday that one of the elephants involved has also died from its injuries. The elephant named Marthanda has succumbed to deep wounds near its stomach and legs despite continuous medical attention from a team of veterinarians.
The tragedy unfolded on Monday in the Kodagu district during a routine bathing session. According to officials, a sudden clash broke out when another elephant, Kanjan unexpectedly charged at Marthanda.
Even though the mahouts tried their best to control the animals, Marthanda lost his balance and collapsed, and Tulasi, the tourist standing near the riverbank watching the bathing session with her family, was trapped under the falling animal and died on the spot. Her husband and child miraculously escaped without any physical injuries.
The bystanders captured the harrowing moment on video, showing the husband desperately trying to pull his wife out from under the elephant while holding their child.
Deputy Conservator of Forests’ statement
The Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF) Abhishek noted that five handlers are usually required to manage a single elephant, calling the event an extremely rare, accidental tragedy. He mentioned that while minor scuffles are common in camps, there was no prior history of animosity between Marthanda and Kanjan.
New safety rules ordered as camp shuts down
Following the incident, the state government ordered the immediate closure of the Dubare elephant camp for two days. Karnataka Forest, Ecology and Environment Minister Eshwar Khandre expressed deep shock over the painful incident and ordered a comprehensive investigation into how the situation escalated.
To prevent such a disaster from happening again, the minister directed wildlife officials to draft a strict Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for tourist safety at all eco-tourism and elephant camps across Karnataka. He emphasised that even trained wild animals can behave unpredictably, meaning visitor safety must always come first.
Under the new safety mandates, tourists will no longer be allowed to get close to the elephants. Visitors must maintain a distance of at least 100 feet during bathing sessions. Furthermore, activities like touching the animals, taking close-up photographs, bathing them or feeding them treats like bananas and sugarcane by hand have been strictly banned.