By Sagaya Fernando | May 20, 2026
Mysuru, Karnataka, INDIA: A tragic incident at Dubare Elephant Camp in Kodagu claimed the life of a 33-year-old tourist from Chennai after she was caught in a violent clash between two captive elephants during a bathing session in the Cauvery River. One of the elephants involved, Marthanda, later died from severe injuries sustained in the fight.
The victim, identified as Joysi, had travelled to Dubare with her husband Joel and their young child from Pallavaram in Chennai as part of a family vacation. The accident occurred on Monday May 18 morning while visitors were watching the camp’s elephants being bathed by mahouts, a popular attraction that draws hundreds of tourists each day.
According to forest department officials, two male elephants — Marthanda, 35, and Kanjan, 26 — suddenly began fighting in the river. Mahouts and kavadis attempted to separate the animals, but Kanjan reportedly charged at Marthanda with great force. The 4,500-kg Marthanda lost balance and collapsed onto Joysi, who was standing close to the water’s edge.
In the chaos that followed, Marthanda reportedly trampled the woman while attempting to get back on his feet. Her husband and child, who were standing beside her, narrowly escaped. Video footage of the incident shows Joel desperately trying to rescue his wife, but he was unable to reach her as the elephants continued to struggle.
Joysi was eventually pulled from the river and rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared her dead on arrival.
Speaking to reporters, Joel said the family had been posing for photographs when the tragedy unfolded.
“We came here on vacation from Chennai. One elephant attacked the other and it fell on top of us. Somehow I managed to escape, but my wife could not. Everyone ran away. I tried to drag her out, but I couldn’t save her,” he said.
Marthanda, one of the two elephants involved, had suffered extensive internal injuries during the clash and died the next day. The 35-year-old elephant had been captured in 2023 from Alur in Hassan district and was undergoing training at the camp. Kanjan, captured near Yesalur in Hassan district in 2014, had participated in the Mysuru Dasara festivities on three occasions.
Karnataka Forest, Ecology and Environment Minister Eshwar B. Khandre expressed deep sorrow over the deaths of both the tourist and the elephant, describing the incident as “an unfortunate and unforeseen tragedy.”
“No matter how well-trained elephants and other wild animals are, predicting their behaviour at any given moment remains difficult,” the minister said.
He ordered a detailed inquiry into the incident and directed officials to prepare a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to strengthen safety measures at all captive elephant camps in the state.
Government Introduces Immediate Safety Restrictions
Following the tragedy, the Karnataka government has imposed strict new rules at elephant camps to protect visitors.
Under the new guidelines, tourists will be required to maintain a minimum distance of 100 feet while observing elephants during bathing sessions.
Visitors will no longer be allowed to:
Go near elephants
Touch elephant trunks
Take selfies or photographs at close range
Bathe elephants
Feed them bananas, jaggery or sugarcane
The restrictions have come into effect immediately across all captive elephant camps in Karnataka.
Dubare Elephant Camp, situated on the banks of the Cauvery River, is one of Karnataka’s best-known wildlife attractions and is renowned for training and caring for elephants captured from the wild. The incident has sparked renewed debate over tourist interaction with large captive animals and the need for stricter safety protocols at wildlife tourism sites.
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