German Tourist on Motorcycle Killed in Wild Elephant Attack in India

Ignoring Warnings from Others,
Tourist Fatally Attacked While Riding Motorcycle

A 77-year-old German tourist died after being attacked by an elephant in India.

On the 5th (local time), the German daily Bild reported that the tourist was attacked by a wild elephant around 6 p.m. the previous day in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu, southern India. At the time, the tourist was riding a rented motorcycle when he encountered the elephant. When the elephant pushed the tourist off the motorcycle, other drivers tried to stop the attack by honking their horns.

However, the elephant lifted the tourist into the air again with its tusks and threw him down. The tourist was taken to the hospital but died two hours later. Local media reported that unlike other drivers who stopped their vehicles and waited for the elephant to leave the road, the tourist kept riding the motorcycle toward the elephant.

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There are about 30,000 wild elephants living in India, and conflicts with humans occur frequently. Last month, at a religious festival in Kerala, southern India, an elephant went on a rampage, injuring more than 20 people and leaving 2 in critical condition. A police official told local media, "On the last morning of the four-day annual religious festival, an elephant suddenly charged into the crowd," adding, "The elephant grabbed a man's leg with its trunk, shook him violently, and threw him into the crowd." The startled crowd fled all at once, causing people to fall and get trampled.

Earlier, in October last year, at a festival held in a market in the Saran area of Bihar, India, an elephant attacked a vehicle carrying tourists, injuring one person. A video of the incident shows an elephant marching with people on its back suddenly charging at the vehicle, tossing it with its tusks. A person presumed to be a guide rushed to restrain the elephant, but it did not stop and continued running, even hitting a nearby bus. Local authorities explained the cause of the accident, saying, "The large crowd and loud music seemed to have caused stress to the elephant."