Elephant tramples labourer to death as he tries to take selfie with it

A man was crushed to death by an elephant in Maharashtra while attempting to take a selfie with the wild animal near a forest, according to Indian media reports.

The deceased, identified as 23-year-old Shashikant Ramchandra Satre, was trampled by the elephant in Gadchiroli district while visiting the forest with his friends.

A few days prior, the local Forest Department had received reports of an elephant roaming in the Abapur forest in the Pandhari Bhatal area, prompting Shashikant and his two friends to go see the animal.

While in the forest, Shashikant spotted the elephant and attempted to take a selfie from a distance.

According to the Indian police, his two friends failed to protect him and managed to escape unharmed as he struggled to evade the elephant.

“Shashikant was drunk while trying to take a selfie with the elephant,” local police told the media.

In a bid to escape, he climbed a tree, but the elephant prodded it, causing him to lose his balance and fall to the ground.

The elephant then trampled him, resulting in his immediate death.

Shashikant, a labourer, had come to the area in search of work, but his fascination with seeing the wild animal ultimately led to his tragic end.