A youngster has ended up in the intensive care unit of a hospital struggling for his life after his attempt to mount an elephant like Baahubali went grievously wrong.
The incident happened in Peringassery in the hilly district of Idukki in Kerala and was broadcast live on the victim’s Facebook.
The incident took shape when a gang of youngsters found a lone elephant in a rubber plantation, and decided to recreate the scene involving Prabhas and the elephant in Baahubali.
In the movie, the Telugu actor jumps on top of the elephant using the animal’s trunk as a stepping stone.
To get into the elephant’s good books, the friends bought some bananas first.
Armed with the bananas, the would-be Baahubali went approached the animal and extended the treat.
After the bananas were done, the youngster offered some palm leaves lying nearby.
After that, he went near the elephant and gave started hugging its trunk.
Meanwhile, his friends can be heard warning the would-be Baahubali not to go near the animal and that it can be dangerous.
The animal did not react immediately to the proximity.
However, after a few seconds, the elephant seemed not to appreciate the unsolicited display of affection and used its trunk to ‘kick’ the boy in air.
The boy landed on his neck several feet away, breaking it in the process.
The friends who were broadcasting the events live did not forget to include the climax, and could be even heard saying — ‘He’s not dead, his hands are moving’, before realizing that they need to stop filming and do something about getting him into a hospital.
The incident has created a lot of criticism for the youngsters from the public in Kerala. Elephants are held in high esteem in Kerala society and treated with respect and love.