Elephant charges man after he took a photo

A visitor to the Bandipur Tiger Reserve in India broke the rules of the sanctuary and created a dangerous encounter with an elephant that very well could have had a deadly outcome.

Daniel Osorio was filming an elephant that had been feasting on a bunch of carrots dropped onto the road by a passing truck, as a long line of cars patiently waited for it to finish.

Like many others seen in the video, a man failed to follow the rules about staying in his vehicle and attempted to get a closeup photo of the elephant, using a camera with a flash, according to a witness .

“The sudden burst of light startled the animal, triggering the charge,” Osorio wrote in his Instagram post of the encounter.

The elephant then charged the man.

The man tripped and fell as he made his way back onto the paved road. The elephant then trampled him, and somehow pulled the man’s pants and underwear down to his knees.

Osorio stated that the man “is alive,” but it was unclear whether he sustained any injuries.

“This incident is a strong reminder to follow the rules of wildlife reserves and to let trained authorities – not people on foot – handle situations like this,” Osorio wrote.

The Maharaja of Mysore hunted here

Besides elephants and the Royal Bengal tiger, the Bandipur Tiger Reserve is home to such species as the Indian leopard, Asiatic wild dog, sloth bear, Indian Gaur, Sambar and over 250 bird species.

It supports a significant number of elephants and is part of the Mysore Elephant Reserve under Project Elephant.

“Historically, this area was a hunting ground for the Maharaja of Mysore and later became one of India’s first forested areas designated as a wildlife sanctuary in 1931,” the Bandipur Tiger Reserve states on its website. “It was expanded and renamed under Project Tiger to strengthen tiger conservation. The Karnataka Forest Department implements various conservation initiatives in Bandipur, including anti-poaching camps, solar-powered waterholes, habitat improvement programs, invasive species removal, and community-based eco-development schemes.

“Bandipur today stands as a model tiger reserve balancing ecological conservation with tourism and community livelihood concerns, reinforcing India’s commitment to preserving its natural heritage.”

A perusal of the reserve website revealed one other rule the man in the elephant encounter broke: “Do not use flash photography near animals.”