• A Kerala tourist narrowly escaped death after being attacked by a charging tusker in Karnataka’s Bandipur Tiger Reserve (BTR).
• The elephant knocked the tourist to the ground and pinned him under its foot before retreating, leaving the man with his life spared.
• Bandipur Tiger Reserve is located in the Mysore and Chamarajanagar districts of southern Karnataka, at the tri-junction of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala.
• Geographically, it forms an “ecological confluence” of the Western and Eastern Ghats and is part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Historically a hunting ground for Mysore’s rulers, BTR is today one of India’s premier wildlife conservation areas.
• The reserve is bordered by Nagarahole Tiger Reserve (northwest), Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (south), and Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (southwest), with the Kabini River to its north and the Moyar River to its south.
• It has a tropical climate with distinct wet and dry seasons, supporting dry deciduous to tropical mixed deciduous forests, including rosewood, sandalwood, Indian laurel, and clumping bamboo.
• BTR is home to the largest wild Asian elephant population in South Asia and shelters diverse fauna such as the Bengal tiger, gaur, sloth bear, golden jackal, dhole, and four-horned antelope.
• The recent elephant attack underscores the importance of awareness and safety measures during wildlife tourism in such biodiverse areas.