Visitor Succumbs After Elephant Falls On Her Accidentally At Dubare Camp In Kodagu
BENGALUR: Tulasi, 33, a native of Tamil Nadu, died at the Dubare Elephant Camp in Kodagu on Monday, when Marthanda and Kankan started a fight between them while they were taking a routine bath in the Cauvery River flowing through the camp, and the visitor of the camp was accidentally crushed under the huge Marthanda, which fell on him.
In the fight, Kanjan is said to have pushed Marthanda strongly, knocking Marthanda off balance, causing her to fall into the Cauvery River. A fight between Marthanda and Kanjan caused the visitors to run into the water for safety but Tulasi remained stranded after Marthanda fell on top of her. Even after Marthanda fell, Kanjan continued his attack while Tulasi was still under water.
The incident is said to have occurred around 12pm at the Dubare Elephant Camp, a popular tourist destination, and Forest and Environment Minister Eshwar Khandre described the visitor’s death as “no one could have imagined”.
The late Tulasi’s husband said that he, his wife and daughter entered the Cauvery River, which runs through the camp, to spend some time at the place where domesticated elephants were bathed. When the two elephants started fighting with each other and noticed the fight, chaos suddenly broke out. While the visitors in the water ran for safety, he and his daughter managed to avoid being trapped in the fight between the two elephants, but his wife Tulasi was trapped and lost her life.
Sources said Kanjan was furious and started Marthanda and pushed her strongly. A strong push from Kanjan knocked Marthanda off balance and she fell into the Cauvery River while Tulasi was in the River.
Kanjan did not stop after knocking Marthanda off balance but aggressively pierced his tusks as the keepers did their best to separate the two elephants. The situation was later brought under control and the relevant authorities cleared the area of visitors for the remainder of the day. Tulasi’s body was transferred to the hospital.
Expressing his condolences on the death of Visitor Tulasi, Minister of Forests and Environment Eshwar Khandre said, “It is difficult to understand the behavior of animals despite being domesticated.” Khandre assured that he would take steps to ban visitors from feeding domesticated elephants, bathing them in elephant camps and also stated that he would monitor the elephants from a safe distance in the future.
