Elephant Kills Man on Safari After He Left Car To Snap Photos; How Common Are Elephant Attacks on Humans?

A herd of elephants trampled over a Spanish man, ultimately leading to his death.

This happened as the 43-year-old man visited the Pilanesberg National Park in South Africa. He ended up killed by the elephants after leaving his car to snap photos of the animals.

Elephants Kill Man in Safari

Along with his fiance and two other people, the man was traveling through the park in a car. They then encountered three calves and three adult elephants.

The man was found to be Carlos Luna, who was reportedly from Zaragoza.

According to local police, the man and the passengers saw the three adult elephants with their three calves, which were identified as African savannah elephants. He then stopped the car, went down, and went closer to the animals to snap photos.

Eventually, the herd attacked him and ended up killing him.

The man reportedly did not heed the warnings made by his companions or by the occupants of two other cars.

The man could not escape or evade the charging elephant that was later joined by the entire herd.

The report noted that after this, the elephants left the scene and did not attack anyone else.

Based on the witnesses' statements, the female elephant that attacked could have done so out to defend the herd and the calves.

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Elephant Attacks on Humans

According to chief conservation officer Pieter Nel at the Parks and Tourism Board of the North West Province, defending young ones in the face of threat is normal elephant behavior. Nel also noted that several tourists are unaware of how dangerous these creatures could be.

Chief executive officer Thami Matshego of the North West Parks and Tourism Board noted that tourists are constantly reminded that they should stay in their cars as they visit the park. This is necessary so that they can have a good distance between the cars and animals and offer animals the freedom to move around freely.

Elephant attacks are not rare in this region. In 2019, an elephant attacked and killed a suspected poacher. His body was also gruesomely eaten by lions in Kruger National Park.

According to local authorities, the neighboring country of Zimbabwe saw 50 deaths and 85 injuries due to wild animals in 2023. The majority of these cases involved elephant attacks.

Similar tragedies have also happened across different areas in South Africa. Just three months ago, an elderly American woman was killed by an elephant that charged at a vehicle that was transporting tourists in the largest national park of Zimbabwe.

In light of the recent saddening event, the North West Tourism Board urges visitors to respect the distance between animals and vehicles. They also remind tourists to only alight from their car in designated areas.