Spanish tourist killed by elephant in South Africa

Authorities in a well-known South African park reported on Tuesday that a Spanish visitor was killed by an elephant that stomped him to death after he got out of his car to snap pictures of a small herd.

According to park officials, the 43-year-old man was attacked early on Sunday in the Pilanesberg National Park, a popular tourist destination located roughly 200 kilometers (130 miles) northwest of Johannesburg.

According to authorities, the man, his fiancée, and two ladies were inside the reserve in their own car when they noticed three elephants and three calves.

According to police spokesperson Sabata Mokgwabone, “reports suggest that the man stopped the vehicle, alighted, and went closer to the elephants to take pictures.”

“It is said that the elephants attacked him and killed him.”

The matriarch of the herd attacked after growing “agitated” upon spotting the approaching tourist, according to Pieter Nel, head conservation officer at the Parks and Tourism Board of the North West province.

He went on to say that elephants trying to “defend the young ones” is “normal behavior.”

He told AFP, “A lot of tourists are unaware of the risks and do not realize how dangerous these animals can be.”

According to Nel and Mokgwabone, the man was Spanish.

The police added that his companions, who are all from Johannesburg, were unharmed and that they had started an inquiry.

Attacks by elephants are not unusual in the area. In the renowned Kruger National Park in South Africa, an elephant is reported to have killed a suspected poacher in 2021.

Furthermore, according to local officials, wild animals in neighboring Zimbabwe—mostly elephants—injured 85 people and killed 50 last year.

Visitors driving through the reserves are advised by Pilanesberg and other South African parks to keep their windows closed and not get out of their cars.

AFP