The idea that “elephants never forget” is a bit of an exaggeration. But it’s hard to imagine that one tourist is likely to ever forget the lesson he learned after attempting to take a selfie with a wild elephant in India over the weekend.
As the New York Post reports, a tourist visiting Karnataka, India on Sunday is lucky to be alive after a brazen attempt to snap a selfie with the wild pachyderm went horribly wrong. The outlet claims that the man, identified only as R. Basavaraju, was visiting a wildlife reserve when he reportedly decided to trespass into an area that was off-limits to visitors.
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When he spotted an elephant chowing down on some carrots by the side of the road, the opportunity for a selfie with the ginormous animal proved too much to resist for Basavaraju—and too much to ignore for the animal.
Daniel Osorio, one of several witnesses to the terrifying incident, believes that the flash of Basavaraju’s camera while taking the photo may have been what prompted the elephant’s angry reaction. Video shows the elephant contentedly chowing down on some carrots on the side of the road, then suddenly raising its trunk and charging at Basavaraju and, when he eventually caught up, trampling him hard enough to strip him of all his clothing below his waist—underwear included.
Basavaraju sustained severe injuries and was rushed to the hospital—which didn’t prevent local authorities from taking action against the stomped-upon tourist for violating local wildlife restrictions. Basavaraju was fined 25,000 rupees (roughly the equivalent of $285) and was required to film a video confession in which he admitted ignorance to local wildlife safety regulations.
The local Forest Department condemned Basavaraju’s choices in the situation, stating that: “Such reckless stunts not only endanger human lives but also provoke unpredictable and dangerous animal behavior.”
Footage of the bare-bottomed Basavaraju, meanwhile, has gone viral.
