151 people who came into contact with the victim are under observation to prevent the spread of the deadly virus
world7 hours ago
A Spanish tourist was trampled to death by an elephant after stepping out of his vehicle to take photos of a small herd at a renowned South African park, authorities said on Tuesday.
The 43-year-old man was attacked on Sunday morning at the Pilanesberg National Park, a tourist magnet about 200 km northwest of Johannesburg, according to park officials.
The man, his fiancee and two women were driving their own vehicle within the reserve when they spotted three elephants and three calves, police said.
"Reports suggest that the man stopped the vehicle, alighted and went closer to the elephants to take pictures," police spokesman Sabata Mokgwabone said.
"The elephants allegedly attacked and killed him."
Pieter Nel, chief conservation officer at the North West province's Parks and Tourism Board, said the matriarch of the herd attacked upon becoming "agitated" after seeing the tourist approach.
It is "normal behaviour" for elephants to try to "defend the young ones", he added.
"Lots of tourists are oblivious to the dangers and do not realise how dangerous these animals can be," he said.
Nel and Mokgwabone said the man was from Spain.
His companions, all from Johannesburg, were unharmed, the police said, adding they had opened an investigation.
Elephant attacks are not uncommon in the region. In 2021 a suspected poacher was killed by elephants in South Africa's world famous Kruger National Park.
Last year 50 people were killed and 85 injured by wild animals -- mostly elephants -- in neighbouring Zimbabwe, according to local authorities.
Pilanesberg and other South African parks tell visitors driving through the reserves to keep the windows closed and not to disembark from their vehicles.
151 people who came into contact with the victim are under observation to prevent the spread of the deadly virus
world7 hours ago
Her cheeky expressions and playful frolicking racked up millions of views and have lured thousands of visitors wanting to witness her antics
world22 hours ago
China issues red alert, warns of gales and heavy rain
world23 hours ago
Celebrity endorsements rarely carry enormous weight, but the hugely popular Swift is seen as being in a class of her own
world23 hours ago
Brazil has been parched by a historic drought that experts link to climate change and which has sparked what authorities have called a 'fire pandemic'
world1 day ago
Generative artificial intelligence uses 30 times more energy than a traditional search engine
world1 day ago
SalamAir flight from Bangladesh's Chittagong was diverted to Nagpur Airport following a medical emergency
world1 day ago
The Dragon spacecraft landed in the ocean at 3.37am, a webcast of the splashdown showed, with a recovery team deploying in the pre-dawn darkness to retrieve the capsule and crew
world1 day ago