Tourist squished to death in front of her husband in terrifying elephant brawl
A 33-year-old mother was crushed to death in front of her husband and baby after becoming trapped under a fallen elephant during a fight at a popular animal safari site
The elephants were being bathed before suddenly they began fighting(Image: Jam Press/TIM)
A mum-of-one has died after being crushed during a vicious fight between two elephants at a popular safari destination in India.
The unidentified woman, 33, was watching the animals being bathed at the popular Dubare Elephant Camp in Chennai, India with her husband and baby on May 18, when two of the elephants began fighting, with one knocking her down and stepping on her.
While her partner and child were thankfully able to escape the terrifying encounter, the mother was not so lucky, with desperate onlookers unable to pull her out from under the animal, which is believed to have weighed more than 4000kg.
It is not clear what caused the two trained elephants, which have been named Kanchan and Marthanda, to begin fighting, but what is known is that it was Marthanda that fell and crushed the tourist.
Marthanda, who received serious injuries during the fight, died the following the day. The family had reportedly been visiting Dubare Elephant Camp while on a two-day trip to the Indian city of Chennai.
Following the deadly horror, officials have ordered tourists to stay at least 100ft away from elephants at wildlife camps. Holidaymakers will also be banned from feeding the animals or posing for close-up snaps in a major safety crackdown.
However, the tragic death has still sparked outrage amongst animal rights campaigners, who say that keeping elephants in captivity is both cruel and dangerous.
In a statement, the animal charity PETA described the incident as a “grim reminder of how stressed and frustrated animals treated as tourism props can become.”
The statement read: “Similar incidents have happened around the world, where animals trapped in tourism operations have injured and killed humans when handlers forced them into unnatural, high-stress situations that strip them of everything natural and important to them.
“Don’t be duped into paying for encounters that are falsely marketed as harmless or even beneficial to animals.
“If you pay for close contact with wildlife, you’re not only fueling businesses built on confining, abusing, and exploiting individuals who never consented to any of it—you’re also putting your own life on the line.Other animals aren’t taxis, trophies, or props for forced performances.”
The Dubare Elephant Park’s own website says that elephant bathing has been made “not available”, but make no mention of the reported death and instead say this is because of an “increase in water level . . . during monsoon time”.
The Daily Star has approached Dubare Elephant Park for comment.
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