Man injured while trying to take selfie with wild elephant

 A man was seriously injured when he was attacked by a wild elephant while trying to take a selfie with the tusker in Dhenkanal district today.

The man identified as Abhisekh Nayak of Masania village in Dhenkanal district, has been admitted at a private hospital here with serious injury.

Local politician and chairman of Smt Nandini Satpathy Memorial Trust (SNSMT)) Suparno Satpathy, said the people of Masania village under Khadagprasad gram panchayat were panic struck for the past two days as a herd of elephant had wandered into their villages.

"Without realising the risk involved, Abhisekh went to one of the wild elephants to snap a moment with him. Getting intimidated, the tusker went violent and chased Abhisekh while he moved too close to click a selfie. The elephant charged at him and attacked him," Satpathy said.

Official sources also confirmed the incident. Other villagers, however, rescued Abhisek from the spot and rushed him to the district head quarter hospital at Dhenkanal. Later, he was shifted to a private hospital in Bhubaneswar.