Wayanad: Two tourists had a lucky escape from a wild elephant on National Highway 766 that passes through the Bandipur National Park. A video of the incident captured by a Wayanad native has gone viral.
According to Wayanad Wildlife Warden Dinesh Kumar, the incident took place at Abballa, near the Kerala border. “Our field staff informed us that the spot is about 10 km from the border,” said Dinesh Kumar.
Savad C A, a native of Kunnathmala in Mananthavadi, Wayanad, was travelling with his family when he saw the two men running from a charging tusker with a red car appearing to drive by their side on Wednesday.
Savad, who is vacationing with his family in Ootty, told Onmanorama that they feared for the safety of the men. “At one point, we thought one of the men would be trampled by the animal,” Savad said.
From the video captured by Savad, the man who lost his footing had a miraculous escape as the elephant turned its attention to a passing vehicle just as it was upon him. “We sped away as our family members were very much shocked," Savad said.
Recently the Kerala Forest Department slapped a hefty fine on a tourist who had a narrow escape as he attempted to take a selfie with an elephant herd. The identity of the tourist was established by tracking the registration number of the vehicle.
According to officials, trespassing on prohibited forest land is punishable with imprisonment of up to three years or a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh or both. Meanwhile, the Karnataka Forest Department has launched an inquiry into the incident and efforts are on to identify the duo.
