Idiot of the Week: Tourist Learns Not to Mess With Elephant

A man in Karnataka, India thought it might be fun to take a selfie with a wild elephant off the roadway in the Bandipur Tiger Reserve. It was not. He didn’t get the selfie, but he did get run down by the startled creature and was nearly stomped to death. Plus he lost his pants, briefly.

A witness to the event said traffic had lined up on the road because the elephant was munching carrots it swiped from a truck attempting to pass. A small crowd formed to watch from a safe distance, but one idiot got too close and his camera flash spooked the animal, prompting it to chase him. The guy face-planted on the pavement and the elephant appeared to stomp on him, a move that pulled down the guy’s pants and exposed a bare bum.

thedhk_cinematic via Instagram

The man, identified as R. Basavaraj in the Indian Express, incurred surprisingly minor injuries and was quickly tracked down by the Karnataka Forest Department and taken into custody the day after his near-death experience. They slapped him with a 25,000 rupee fine (about $250), then forced him to make a confessional video.

“I was returning from Bankapura temple when I spotted the elephant on the highway,” a thoroughly chastened Basavaraj says to the camera. “I went near the animal and was trying to take a selfie when it chased and attacked me. No one should be involved in such acts. Don’t stop vehicles on highways that pass through forests. Do not get down to attend nature’s call. Do not offer food to wild animals.”

That dude was fortunate to survive. The hapless elephant too. Sometimes when tourists go rogue around wildlife, it’s the animals that pay the price. A new term, “touron,” a portmanteau of tourist and moron, is gaining currency, sad to say.

Basavaraj’s big adventure is documented here; watch his mea culpa here.

Photo credit: Viral Press; thedhk_cinematic via Instagram