NewsElephant kills trainer at safari facility, illegal operations probed

Elephant kills trainer at safari facility, illegal operations probed

A one-ton elephant killed its trainer. Moments before the tragedy, the man struck the animal with a bamboo stick, trying to force it to obey. Cameras recorded everything.

An animal trainer from India is dead. He was trampled by an elephant. It was all recorded.
An animal trainer from India is dead. He was trampled by an elephant. It was all recorded.
Images source: © Getty Images, X

8:02 AM EDT, June 25, 2024

The drama unfolded on Thursday around 8:30 PM Eastern Time in the Kallar area of the Kerala region in southwestern India at a private safari facility. A terrifying video showed how a one-ton elephant stepped on the mahout (elephant caretaker and driver) who was lying on the ground. Then it threw the man's body to the ground. The 62-year-old trainer, M. Balakrishnan, died. The attack occurred after the trainer tried to force the elephant to obey a command.

As reported by "Daily Mail," after the death of the 62-year-old man, an investigation was initiated. The Forestry Department ordered the urgent closure of the safari. Authorities emphasized that closing the park was necessary to ensure the safety of visitors, mahouts, and elephants, as well as to investigate any potential violations of safari operation regulations.

According to local reports, the owner of the elephant was A. H. Jalaludin, a resident of Erumeli in the Kottayam district. The elephant was at the safari on a farm in Kerala in the village of Devikulam Taluk in Anaviratty.

The elephants at the facility where the tragedy occurred were not registered with the Indian Animal Welfare Board, a mandatory requirement for animals used for entertainment purposes. According to the "Free Press Journal" portal, the elephant involved in the incident had previously exhibited aggressive behavior towards the mahout.

Authorities announce changes

The district administration announced that they will address the problem and not allow illegal safari facility operation. The Forestry Department announced regular inspections and strict actions against centers operating without a permit or those found to be violating existing laws.

Authorities are appealing to the public to report any illegal facilities. This aims to prevent similar incidents and ensure the safety of mahouts, visitors, and the animals.

Related content
© essanews.com
·About us
·Terms of service
·Contact us
·Privacy policy
·

Downloading, reproduction, storage, or any other use of content available on this website—regardless of its nature and form of expression (in particular, but not limited to verbal, verbal-musical, musical, audiovisual, audio, textual, graphic, and the data and information contained therein, databases and the data contained therein) and its form (e.g., literary, journalistic, scientific, cartographic, computer programs, visual arts, photographic)—requires prior and explicit consent from Wirtualna Polska Media Spółka Akcyjna, headquartered in Warsaw, the owner of this website, regardless of the method of exploration and the technique used (manual or automated, including the use of machine learning or artificial intelligence programs). The above restriction does not apply solely to facilitate their search by internet search engines and uses within contractual relations or permitted use as specified by applicable law.Detailed information regarding this notice can be found  here.