Mysuru: Tourists frequently invade the land of the wild, either in the name of safaris or in the name of passing through the dense forests.

However some tourists passing through national parks stop their vehicles, going as close as possible to the animals. In the process, they click photos and selfies whenever they spot an elephant herd or even a single elephant amidst thickets, in utter disregard to the elephant’s rage. This tendency is a dangerous practice and at times might lead to death.

Three friends passing through the Bandipur Tiger Reserve learnt it the hard way as one among them had a brush with death. A wild elephant charged at him and chased him for a good distance before he got into his car and sped away.

Neither the person nor his friends are likely to forget this incident anytime soon. The video of the incident shot by another person showing the full turn of events has gone viral now. The incident occurred on the Wayanad Road between Moolehole and Maddur Range of the Tiger Reserve on Apr. 9 and it came to light now.

Urgency of nature’s call

The video shows an SUV heading towards Kerala stopping by the side of the road just before a road hump. While one person got off the vehicle to answer nature’s call his other two friends also got down with a camera and mobile phone. The friends were excited as they saw an elephant that was grazing near the bushes. Unable to hold their excitement, they pulled out the camera and started clicking photos.

The other friend crossed the road and even as many vehicles were passing, he entered the forests to relieve himself. Irked by the camera clicking sound and also the sound of other vehicles, the elephant that was grazing peacefully slowly moved towards the SUV. Sensing danger, the two persons entered the SUV and the driver moved a little further.

The elephant that neared the road then spotted another person dressed in a black shirt and white pants. It ran towards that person to attack him. Seeing the enraged elephant, the man ran towards a tree and went around it to cross the road. Not leaving the tempo there, the pachyderm too chased him till the SUV.

Brake lights stun elephant

He reached the SUV and in panic he tried to climb the vehicle even as the driver moved the vehicle ahead. As the vehicle climbed the road hump, the man lost his balance and fell onto the ground. Seeing this, the driver stopped suddenly and the closely following pachyderm was stunned for a moment as the vehicle’s brake light glowed brightly. Fortunately, it was a close shave and the man managed to get into the vehicle that moved away from the elephant.

Occupants of over five to six vehicles behind were a witness to the incident and one of them videographed the entire episode and posted it on social media. The group of youths have been identified as hailing from Kerala and a penalty has been imposed on them at the Moolehole check-post before their vehicle crossed over to the neighbouring State.

The Karnataka Forest Department has put up many sign boards along the highways passing through Bandipur, instructing tourists to maintain a safe distance from wild animals and not provoke them. Yet, people disregard the signs and continue to upset the animals, risking their own lives.