Forest ranger trampled to death while trying to tranquillise injured elephant

01 September 2023 , 14:16

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Forest ranger trampled to death while trying to tranquillise injured elephant

This is the terrifying moment an injured elephant crushes a forest ranger to death as he tries to shoot the giant creature with a tranquilliser gun.

The male tusker turned on the worker as he tried to anaesthetise it so it could receive more treatment for an old injury in a forest in Karnataka State, India.

Footage recorded in Sakleshpura shows how the petrified ranger fled through the trees screaming for help as the furious elephant thundered after him.

The clip - filmed on 31st August - shows the pair disappear behind a thicket of trees as the ranger shouts in agony while the tusker trumpets loudly. Later footage shows the ranger, named only as Venkatesh, soaked in blood from wounds to his head and body.

Footage captures the ranger walking before the attack (CEN)

The elephant charges as the man tries to run (CEN)

Immobile and unresponsive, he is carried shoulder-high by other rangers as they try to get him to a medic. He was rushed to the Hassan District Hospital, where doctors were unable to save his life. Local media said the attack unfolded when Venkatesh approached the male elephant - known locally as Bheema - in a bid to anaesthetise it. It was first treated on 25th August after being injured in a clash with other elephants.

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However, its condition failed to improve and the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests approved further treatment. Bheema's fate is unclear. Back in May, a safari ranger was been brutally gored to death by a massive elephant after the creature opened a gate and fled. Elephant handler Kabelo Mashao was said to have been on patrol at the park at Inverdoorn Private Nature Reserve, South Africa at the time.

Crowds rush to help following the crush (CEN)

The rangers is identified only as Venkatesh (CEN)

It was during patrol that the 36-year-old reportedly witnessed an elephant use its trunk to release a gate catch and escape. Mr Mashao, a dad-of-two, is said to have told the colleague he was in the jeep with to stay put as he approached the massive animal.

It is said he knew the elephant in question well, and had been trying to lure it back to its enclosure when it became spooked. The elephant reportedly charged Mr Mashao, knocking him to the ground and repeatedly speering him with its long tusks.

The dad died in the frenzied attack, being gored “several times” The Sun reported, and he was left "unrecognisable" after the brutal attack, a park employee said. A park employee told the outlet: “It is normally a very friendly elephant and Kabelo knew it well and went over to try and get it back in the open gate.

William McGee