Daijiworld Media Network – Madikeri
Madikeri, May 20: One of the elephants involved in a fatal incident at the Dubare Elephant Camp in Kodagu district, in which a 33-year-old woman tourist from Chennai was killed, has died due to injuries sustained during the clash.
The 35-year-old male elephant, Marthanda, had suffered grievous injuries during a confrontation with another elephant, Kanjan, during a bathing session in the Cauvery river at the camp.
Marthanda, weighing around 4,500 kg, had been captured in 2023 from Alur in Hassan district. The other elephant, Kanjan, aged 26, was captured near Yesalur in Hassan district in 2014 and had earlier participated in Mysuru Dasara festivities on three occasions.
Forest, ecology and environment minister Eshwar B Khandre expressed grief over Marthanda’s death, describing the incident as unfortunate and deeply saddening. He said the loss of both a tourist and an elephant in the same episode was distressing and regrettable.
The fatal incident had occurred when a 33-year-old Chennai-based tourist, Jyunesh, was observing elephants being bathed at the camp. A sudden clash broke out between Marthanda and Kanjan, during which efforts by mahouts to control the animals were unsuccessful.
In the ensuing chaos, one of the elephants reportedly lost balance and fell, causing the woman to be knocked down. Marthanda, while attempting to regain footing, trampled her, leading to fatal injuries.
Following the incident, the Karnataka government has imposed stricter safety norms at captive elephant camps and restricted visitor proximity to elephants.
Minister Khandre has directed officials to ensure that tourists observe elephant bathing activities from a minimum distance of 100 feet. He has also instructed authorities to prepare a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to strengthen safety measures.
Under the revised guidelines, visitors will no longer be allowed to approach elephants, take selfies or photographs in close proximity, touch elephant trunks, bathe elephants, or feed them bananas, jaggery, or sugarcane.
The new restrictions have come into force with immediate effect.