Posted on 08/31/2025 7:15:42 AM PDT by BenLurkin
In a now-viral video from August 10, an elephant chases and nearly tramples a tourist on the highways of Bandipur National Park, known for its nature walks, birdwatching and wildlife safaris, in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. Authorities say that the man, a tourist from the neighboring state of Kerala, was lucky to survive — and that the elephant was likely provoked because the tourist had climbed out of his safari vehicle and approached the animal to take a selfie.
It wasn't an isolated incident. That same month, an elephant charged at two men from Chhattisgarh, a landlocked state in northern India, when they attempted to pose with it for a selfie. They managed to run to safety.
And in 2025, India remains at the top of the global list for dangerous selfies, according to two new surveys.
Last week, the Barber Law Firm released findings from its analysis of google news accounts of selfies that results in injury or death, beginning in March 2014 through May 2025.
India's 271 cases made up 42% of the total. The U.S. ranked second with 45 cases, followed by Russia with 19.
A selfie database covering 2014 to 2023, from the insurance comparison website Swiftest. came to the same conclusion. It cites 190 deaths in India — nearly half of all the deaths it compiled — and 55 injuries.
Where does danger lurk and who gets hurt?
While stories of animal attacks make headlines, they're not the number one selfie threat.
According to the surveys, the most common danger zones are heights — waterfalls, rooftops, bridges and cliffs that are especially tempting backdrops for dramatic selfies.
And the main instigators are men. A joint study by Carnegie Mellon University and the Indraprastha Institute of Technology in New Delhi found that roughly three out of four selfie-related deaths involved men posing dangerously.
One unexpected finding, say selfie researchers, is that the victims aren't just the person taking the selfie.
"One of the strange insights I found was that in places like India, a person trying to take a selfie will often fall into a river or body of water, and other people will then jump in the water to try and save the person and also lose their lives. It was something that was very troubling to learn — that one person's mistake could lead to a wider tragedy," says Matthew H. Nash, lead researcher at Swiftest.
What's the motive?
Sometimes people are looking for internet fame. And maybe fortune.
Psychologists say the shift to "killfies" happens when the pursuit of online validation overrides judgment. "When people receive positive feedback on their selfies, that creates the desire to take more of them. Use soon becomes abuse," says Selvikumari Ramasubramanian, a clinical psychologist at MS Chellamuthu Trust and Research Foundation, a non-profit offering mental health services in Madurai.
In the Swiftest's 2023 survey of 1,233 Instagram users, one in 10 admitted they would risk their safety for more followers.
Some of these high-risk selfie takers end up selling images to various social media platforms.
And hashtags like #dangerousselfie and #extremeselfie encourage copycat behavior.
An emerging danger
In India, authorities are now worried about another potential danger spot: massive gatherings.
Solomon Nesakumar, additional commissioner of police in Kolkata, told NPR that crowd control is always difficult and becomes even more challenging when people stop to take selfies or their close cousin, video reels to post on Instagram and other platforms.
"We need to keep the crowd moving to avoid accidents, but selfie takers don't understand this. They put themselves and others at risk of being trampled — or worse, triggering a stampede," he says.
At gatherings like the Mahakumbh in the northern Indian city of Pragyaraj this January, where millions of Hindu pilgrims attend what's considered the world's largest religious festival, selfies were banned.
To prevent a potential tragedy at such a big event, he says, "police make frequent announcements to inform people of the ban and even temporarily confiscate phones from offenders."
The fear of losing a phone, even for a short period of time, might turn out to be an effective deterrent for risky selfies.
Oh! Goodness - do I run to help her or do I close the door first?
Absolutely 100% correct...I’m so tired of people who come to visit who can’t have a conversation without their phone. Mention a news story and they are going to “fact check” it before continuing a conversation.
Thats why i look the door and turn music up
See my post #24 for the rest of the story. The Siberian tiger attacks woman in drive through nature preserve. Location China.
Yeah, my two grandsons know to look at their parents’ phones, in part, because they can talk with Grandpa and Grandma at the push of a button. They are 4 years and 18 months old.
They also know they are surveilled at night when they go to bed.
It’s creepy to me, too.
And those brilliant engineers and doctors are brought here to provide us the benefit of their superior intellect.
And now, for the most ironic statement of the day:
“In India, authorities are now worried about another potential danger spot: massive gatherings.”
Climate change?
They try to do the same with bison in Yellowstone. Bison are sometimes found in towns near Yellowstone National Park, especially in West Yellowstone, Montana, and Mammoth, Wyoming, where they can wander into residential areas, cause traffic jams, and even visit local businesses for a place to graze or scratch themselves. People are told to give them a wide birth but sometimes some idiot will try to get a closeup selfie with one. And when an animal with horns weighing up to 2,000 pounds and standing 6 feet tall at the shoulder who can run up to 35 miles per hour, faster than a man, gets excited (pissed), it’s not a good idea to wanna be Jack Hanna and be an ambassador for animals that just want to be left alone. Just don’t give them an excuse to get excited.
wy69
Here in Wyoming it’s practically a hobby, gathering and sharing videos of all the stupid things tourists do in Yellowstone.
Almost as bad as a Dead Head sticker on a Cadillac.
Whoa, nice air time on the top one. With a better landing it would have been a 10.
They have more big, fierce, wild animals there, too. We just got bison, grizzly bears, and an occasional puma.
I think that poor girl may have landed okay, but she was young enough where they are made of elastic material anyway!
Stupid parents...
But it was impressive to watch!
We have moose and squirrel, too.
Yes, forgot about moose. If you get tossed and trampled by a squirrel while taking a selfie with it, well, I don’t know what to say.
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