Latest news Elephant kills tourist in South African national park

An elephant has trampled a tourist to death in a national park in South Africa.

The man from Spain got out of his car in Pilanesberg to take photos of a group of elephants with young animals, South African media reported. Employees of the park confirmed the fatal attack. The attack had already happened on Sunday. The Spanish tourist was seriously injured and died in hospital.

"Visitors must be aware that these are wild animals," the Citizen newspaper quoted a park employee as saying. Park visitors cannot simply leave their vehicle for a selfie or a better photo, as the animals could feel threatened.

Especially when elephants or other wild animals believe their young are in danger, dangerous situations can arise. Park rangers therefore always warn safari tourists not to come between a mother animal and an elephant calf with a vehicle. But driving too close to a group of elephants can also trigger an attack.

SDA