Tourist trampled under two fighting elephants at Kodagu wildlife camp

Mangalore Today News Network

Kodagu, May 18, 2026: A woman tourist was trampled to death when she came under an elephant which was fighting with another elephant at a wildlife camp in Karnataka’s Kodagu district.

33-year-old Chennai resident Jyunesh was at the Dubare elephant camp watching the elephants being bathed when the accident occurred. During the bathing session, an elephant named Kanchan attacked another elephant Marthanda. Mahouts efforts to control the animals failed.

As the fight between the elephants continued, one of them lost balance and fell on the woman. In its continued efforts to stand up, the elephant Marthanda trampled Jyunesh even further.

Graphic warning - Wild Animals aren’t entertainment. A domestic tourist in India lost her life after two elephants started to fight at an Elephant Camp. pic.twitter.com/iRq9VFpXdN

— G̲r̲e̲e̲n̲ C̲o̲a̲l̲i̲t̲i̲o̲n̲ N̲e̲t̲w̲o̲r̲k̲ ™ 🌏 (@greencoalition) May 18, 2026

Karnataka Forest, Ecology and Environment Minister Eshwar B Khandre has expressed grief over the woman’s death.

Khandre also instructed authorities to enforce strict safety protocols around wildlife. He said that even though captive elephants are trained, predicting animal behaviour remains difficult. He directed officials to prevent tourists from touching elephant trunks, standing close for photographs, washing elephants, or feeding them. He further instructed officials to ensure that tourists maintain a safe distance from elephants and other wildlife animals at all times.

Last month, a 55-year-old man was trampled to death by a wild elephant in Chhattisgarh’s Gaurela-Pendra-Marwahi district. Panic spread in the area as the elephant roamed loose through the area for the next few days.

In March, an 80-year-old woman was trampled to death by a tusker near the Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich district. Villagers said the same tusker had damaged crops in a nearby field earlier that morning.