Video of Kruger elephant attack emerges

14 January 2014

Kruger Sightings posted this video on YouTube on Monday (13/01/13) of an elephant bull attacking a couple in the Kruger National Park in December 2013.

In a controversial move, the KNP management shot and killed the elephant following the attack to prevent it from hurting other people. It’s aggression was blamed on a combination of being in musth and also having an injury.

A couple was injured when the elephant bull attacked their car near the N’waswitshaka water hole, south of the Phabeni tarred road.

"The elephant was walking in front of the couple’s vehicle whilst they were videoing it from behind for a period of time and it suddenly stopped, turned around and rapidly walked towards the vehicle which was stationary at that time," park spokesman William Mabasa said in a statement at the time.

"The elephant charged at them, attacked the vehicle and flipped it over off the road into the thick bushes."

A passing motorist came to their aid. The Pretoriuskop section ranger was alerted and informed the park's operational commander.

A helicopter was dispatched to the scene and airlifted the couple to the Skukuza camp to for medical treatment. After being stabilised, they were flown to the Medi-Clinic private hospital in Nelspruit.

The woman was seriously injured when one of the elephant’s tusks ripped open the back of her thigh. The male tourist suffered minor injuries.

VIDEO: Elephant bull attack couple in Kruger. KNP management shot the elephant following the attack. http://t.co/lkDYMtXeGm
— The Herald PE (@HeraldPE) January 14, 2014

Reader's Comments

Report Abuse Author: Stefano Date: 15 January 2014 10:46

Some people have no concept of what the WILD in wildlife means. There is a mindset that if you are in your car you are untouchable because the wildlife is 'out there'. Until something like this happens, and then excuses are made to kill the one that acted as expected.

Report Abuse Author: pebo Date: 15 January 2014 8:54

How is it ever an animal's fault? Only people are capable of committing crimes and being malicious. Animals only know survival instinct which they need in order to survive and therefore we cannot expect any less of them! People should know better! Animals need a place to live in the wild too, you go to look at them because of your own curiosity and therefore you should do so at your own risk. This makes me so mad that this is the mentality of some ignorant people. Killing an animal for just being an animal? Ridiculous! That's why places like this make me mad. It's all about the money for them, not about the animals. The management should be prosecuted as well as the people in the car that crept up so closely to a wild animal and didn't bother trying to back off when clearly the elephant was upset.

Report Abuse Author: Leoa Date: 14 January 2014 9:18

I cannot believe the stupidity of those people in the blue car. They had every opportunity of getting out of there and didnt. They got what they deserved. The poor elephant paid the price regardless of the reasons they are using as excuses to put him down. That is HIS territory and he was minding his business until humans invaded his space. The quicker humans start respecting wildlife, the less incidents of this nature will rake place and the happier wildlife will be in their own territory!

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