This is the terrifying moment an ignorant tourist was trampled by an elephant after he tried to take a selfie with it.

Footage shows the huge animal charging after the man as he flees for his life in southwest India on Sunday.

The tourist, named as R.Basavaraju, had reportedly trespassed into a restricted forest near a temple before the encounter.

A video of the incident was filmed by visitors at the reserve in Karnataka and has since emerged online. 

The scene begins with an elephant standing by the roadside, then it lifts its trunk and charges across, right in front of a car that’s in motion, chasing after a tourist.

Basavaraju is seen turning around and running away from the mammal into the busy road.

But, he faceplants onto the tarmac and the elephant catches him.

The giant animal stomps on him several times, taking off his trousers and underwear. 

An uninformed tourist met a tragic fate when he was trampled by an elephant while attempting to snap a selfie with the animal. A video captured the enormous creature running after the man, who was trying to escape with his life in southwest India on a Sunday.

Footage of this alarming moment was recorded by other visitors at a reserve in Karnataka and has gained attention online. The video depicts the elephant initially positioned at the edge of the road, then abruptly flinging its trunk as it rushes across the street in front of an approaching vehicle, in a bid to catch the tourist.

The tourist runs away but the elephant catches him. The giant animal stomps on him several times, taking off his trousers and underwear

The elephant stands over the tourist before trotting away – allowing the man to get to his feet and flee to safety.

Miraculously, the man survived but was taken to hospital with severe injuries.

According to a witness, Daniel Osorio, the elephant was seen eating carrots roadside when the tourist approached it to take a selfie.

The elephant was provoked by the sudden bright flash and attacked the man.

Basavaraju was slapped with a hefty fine of 25,000 Rupees (£200) and ordered to make a video confessing to his actions.

In the clip he says his behaviour was caused by his lack of knowledge on wildlife safety rules.

A witness named Osorio commented, “This event serves as a serious warning to adhere to the guidelines set by wildlife reserves and to leave such matters to trained professionals, rather than approaching them on foot.”

He also warned other tourists to not make the same mistake.

The Forest Department said: ‘Such reckless stunts not only endanger human lives but also provoke unpredictable and dangerous animal behaviour’.

The Indian sub-continent has at least 30,000 wild elephants- more than any other country.

Miraculously, the man survived but was taken to hospital with severe injuries

According to a witness, Daniel Osorio, the elephant was seen eating carrots roadside when the tourist approached it to take a selfie

They are also home to 60 per cent of the world’s entire Asian elephant population.

This is not the only elephant attack to happen in India recently.

Last year an elephant attacked a Russian traveller at at the Amer Fort in Jaipur – a popular tourist site.

The video reveals the female elephant grabbing a woman with its trunk, tossing her around harshly, and ultimately slamming her to the ground, resulting in a broken leg.

In the chaos, another individual is seen being thrown into the air as the tourist is violently swung around the area. According to animal welfare organization PETA, two people sustained injuries during the incident.

The same elephant, who is forced to give rides at the popular tourist site, also severely injured a male shopkeeper in October 2022, the organisation said.

While elephants rarely act out, welfare groups say they can become aggressive and even kill people when threatened or mistreated like the thousands used for entertainment purposes across Asia.

Footage showed Gouri the elephant attacking a Russian tourist in the main courtyard of Amer Fort in Jaipur, India.

The gentle giant – known as ‘Number 86’ at work – is pictured cloaked in red cloth and a saddle as others nearby carry tourists on their backs.

At the start of the clip, Gouri picks up the traveller with her trunk and swings her round the courtyard.

The tourist is sent flying as the elephant lets go, and another person appears to fall from the elephant’s back.

Gouri turns to walk 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 his ribs and one of his legs.