Madikeri: A tourist was killed after being caught between two fighting elephants at a wildlife camp in Karnataka’s Kodagu district on Sunday.

The victim, 33-year-old Chennai resident Jyunesh, was visiting the Dubare Elephant Camp and watching elephants being bathed when the incident took place.

According to officials, an elephant named Kanchan suddenly attacked another elephant, Marthanda, during the bathing session. Despite efforts by mahouts to bring the animals under control, the elephants continued fighting.

Amid the chaos, one of the elephants reportedly lost balance and fell onto the woman. As Marthanda struggled to get back on its feet, Jyunesh was trampled repeatedly, leading to her death.

Karnataka Forest, Ecology and Environment Minister Eshwar B Khandre expressed grief over the incident and directed authorities to strictly enforce safety measures around wildlife.

The minister said that although captive elephants are trained, animal behaviour can be unpredictable. He instructed officials to prevent tourists from touching elephant trunks, posing for close photographs, washing elephants, or feeding them. Authorities were also asked to ensure visitors maintain a safe distance from elephants and other wildlife animals at all times.

The incident comes amid a series of recent elephant-related deaths across the country.

Last month, a 55-year-old man was trampled to death by a wild elephant in Chhattisgarh’s Gaurela-Pendra-Marwahi district, where panic spread after the animal continued roaming in the area for days.

In March, an 80-year-old woman was killed by a tusker near the Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich district. Villagers said the same elephant had damaged crops in nearby fields earlier that day.