Overview
- A tourist taking part in bathing and cleaning activities at Dubare Elephant Camp was killed when two captive elephants fought earlier this week, her husband was seriously injured, and one elephant, Marthanda, died of injuries the next day.
- Forest officials ordered Dubare closed to visitors for at least 15 days while other popular camps including Sakrebailu were temporarily shut pending statewide safety protocols.
- Senior forest officers inspected Dubare and are drafting Standard Operating Procedures that propose strict zoning, physical barriers, and limits on close-contact activities such as bathing, feeding and posed photographs.
- The tusker Kanjan has been isolated, secured with a double-chain system and barred from camp duties while veterinarians and mahouts monitor him and the injured tourist remains hospitalized in Kushalnagar.
- Karnataka’s move could reshape long‑standing elephant camp practices that draw large numbers of visitors and may require weeks of infrastructure and operational changes, with effects on local tourism and camp staff livelihoods.