9 Jul, 2024 @ 15:19
1 min read

Spanish tourist killed by stampeding elephant in South Africa after trying to take photos of herd 

Elephant calves play in Addo Elephant National Park, South Africa, in a file photo from 2021. Credit: Charmaine Joubert/Cover-Images.com
Elephant calves play in Addo Elephant National Park, South Africa, in a file photo from 2021. Credit: Charmaine Joubert/Cover-Images.com

A SPANISH man aged 43 died on Sunday afternoon in South Africa, after he was attacked by an elephant while he tried to take photos of its herd.

The tragic accident happened in the Pilanesberg National Park & Game Reserve, not far from the town of Mogwase, according to Spanish news agency Efe. 

Local police said that the tourist was travelling in a vehicle with his fiancee as well as two women from South Africa. 

Read more: Man arrested for trying to sell an elephant’s foot disguised as a stool on social media

Elephant calves play in Addo Elephant National Park, South Africa, in a file photo from 2021. Credit: Charmaine Joubert/Cover-Images.com
Elephant calves play in Addo Elephant National Park, South Africa, in a file photo from 2021. Credit: Charmaine Joubert/Cover-Images.com

He stopped the car to get out and take photos of a herd of three elephants and their three calves. 

It was then that the ‘elephant supposedly attacked and killed him’, the police sources told Efe. 

“Visitors to the park must realise that these are wild animals,” a source at the reserve told local media outlet The Citizen

“You cannot simply get out of your vehicle and approach an animal. Selfies or getting closer photo opportunities with an animal that may see you as a threat or invader of their territory can have dire consequences,” they added.

In April this year, an aggressive elephant charged and flipped a safari vehicle in Zambia’s Kafue Park,  killing a 79-year-old tourist, according to The Citizen

Simon Hunter

Simon Hunter has been living in Madrid since the year 2000 and has worked as a journalist and translator practically since he arrived. For 16 years he was at the English Edition of Spanish daily EL PAÍS, editing the site from 2014 to 2022, and is currently one of the Spain reporters at The Times. He is also a voice actor, and can be heard telling passengers to "mind the gap" on Spain's AVLO high-speed trains.

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