Terrifying moment enraged elephant grabs female Russian tourist with its trunk before tossing her around and slamming her to the ground breaking her leg while giving rides in India
This is the terrifying moment an elephant attacked a Russian traveler at a popular tourist spot in India.
The footage, captured on CCTV at Jaipur’s Amer Fort on February 13, shows the female elephant grabbing the woman with its trunk, swinging her violently, then knocking her to the ground and breaking her leg.
Another person appears to take flight as the tourist is flung across the courtyard. Two people were injured in the Opschudding, Animal Welfare action group PETA reported.
The same elephant, which is forced to give rides at the popular tourist site, also seriously injured a male shopkeeper in October 2022, the organization said.
Although elephants rarely take action, welfare groups say they can become aggressive and even kill people if threatened or abused, like the thousands used for entertainment in Asia.
The elephant is seen picking up the tourist by its trunk and swinging her around the courtyard
The traveler is said to have broken a leg after being thrown by the enraged animal
Two people suffered injuries when animal resisted ‘abuse’
Footage showed Gouri the elephant attacking a Russian tourist in the main courtyard of the Amer Fort in Jaipur, India.
The gentle giant – known at work as ‘Number 86’ – is pictured wearing red cloth and a saddle, while others nearby carry tourists on their backs.
At the beginning of the clip, Gouri picks up the traveler with her suitcase and swings her around the courtyard.
The tourist is sent away as the elephant lets go, and another person appears to fall from the elephant’s back.
Gouri turns and walks away hurriedly as witnesses rush in to help the two people lying on the ground.
According to PETA, the elephant also attacked a shopkeeper in October 2022, breaking its ribs and one of its legs.
The Times of India reported that a 45-year-old man was attacked by an elephant in Amber, near Jaipur.
PETA is now calling for Gouri to be transferred to a shelter where she can “begin to recover from the mental trauma of a lifetime of slavery.”
They say the behavior is typical of abused animals and urge tourists to stay away from exploitative companies that target holidaymakers.
“Elephants that have been chained, bullied and threatened with weapons for years are known to run amok and lash out in fear and frustration,” said PETA Senior Vice President of International Affairs Poorva Joshipura.
“Despite being a known hazard, Gouri is still used to ferry tourists to Amer Fort. The authorities should wake up and send her to a sanctuary and replace the use of elephants with beautifully decorated electric vehicles.
“In the meantime, tourists should vote with their wallets and not support this abuse.”
Elephants, herbivores, rarely attack humans, but may do so if they feel threatened or separated from their young.
Animals that lash out are “typically beaten and subjected to other punishments, which only increases their frustration and fear,” according to PETA.
PETA India has previously highlighted that elephants that have tested positive for tuberculosis are still being used for rides.
In India alone, approximately 400 people die every year from collisions with elephants International Fund for Animal Welfare.
Human development has also brought wild elephants to near-extinction; Today there are between 30,000 and 50,000 elephants in the world.
The majority live in India, where thousands of captive elephants spend their lives working in harsh conditions, overheating, being treated poorly and in some cases being beaten for their behavior.
a study A survey by World Animal Protection across the continent between 2014 and 2016 found that tourist demand fueled a “very cruel” industry, where entrepreneurs would capture animals from the wild and force them into slavery.
In more than three-quarters of the cases investigated, elephants were held in appalling conditions, often tied to chains less than three meters long and forced to stand on concrete floors for long periods of time.
A second person, dressed in white, falls to the ground after the elephant throws the tourist away
The tourist is sent away as the elephant lets go, and another person falls from Gouri’s back
Illustrative image shows working elephants in Thailand. Animal welfare groups say tourism drives demand for a ‘cruel’ industry in which elephants live miserable lives of servitude
Dr. Jan Schmidt-Burbach, Global Wildlife and veterinary advisor at World Animal Protection (WAP), told the BBC: ‘The cruel trend of elephants being used for rides and shows is increasing – we want tourists to know that many of these elephants are taken from their mothers as babies, forced to undergo harsh training and suffer poor living conditions throughout their lives .
‘There is an urgent need for tourism education and regulation of wildlife tourist attractions around the world.’
In Britain, the government has passed the Animals (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Bill, which aims to ban tour operators in England, Wales and Northern Ireland from advertising cruel animal attractions and experiences such as elephant rides.
Pressure is now being put on the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to move forward with a consultation to determine which activities the bill will cover.