http://aa.com.tr/en/africa/zam...eign-tourists/963192



Zambia: Elephant kills 2 foreign tourists

Police say tourists were trying to take picture with stray elephant

home > world, africa 12.11.2017


By O'Brain Mwiinga

LUSAKA, Zambia

A stray elephant killed two foreign tourists in Zambia's tourist capital Livingstone when they tried to get too close to it in the hopes of capturing a picture, police said Sunday.

Acting police spokesman Danny Mwale told journalists in a statement issued on Sunday morning that the deceased tourists were a 55-year-old woman from Belgium and a 64-year-old man from the Netherlands.

According to Mwale, police officers who visited the scene on Saturday evening found the bodies with multiple injuries lying in the Maramba River Lodge, a holiday resort 4 kilometers (2.48 miles) from the spectacular Victoria Falls.

"The deceased whose names have been withheld have been kept in Batoka Hospital mortuary, not only awaiting identification but also postmortem, before deciding whether to bury them in Zambia or repatriate them to their countries of origin," the statement added.

Mwale said that police was also investigating the possibility of suicide.

According to the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA), human-animal conflicts across the country leave hundreds of people dead every year. Both local and foreign tourists who visit game parks are not safe from stray animals.

https://diggers.news/local/201...ists-in-livingstone/



Elephants kill two foreign tourists in Livingstone

By Joseph Mwenda and Mirriam Chabala on 11 Nov 2017


Elephants today trampled upon two foreign tourists in Livingstone as they attempted to take pictures of the animals.
The incident happened at Maramba River Lodge in Zambia’s tourist capital around 17:00 hours where the two tourists from Holland and Belgium were watching wildlife.
Senior Wildlife warden for Souther Region Lewis Data said a 61-year-old Dutch male tourist Griezmann and 57-year-old female Sabin from Belgium met their fate as they watched the elephants that went within the vicinity of the lodge.
Daka explained that the lady went too close to the elephants to take pictures, but ended up agitating the animals that charged and trampled on her.
He said Griezmann attempted to rescue the lady but the elephants also charged and trampled on him, leaving both of them dead.
Daka regretted the death of the two tourists and urged lodge owners to provide guides to tourists so that they do not get too close to the elephants.
Meanwhile, Acting police Spokesperson Danny Mwale stated that Police officers who visited the scene found the deceased bodies lying on the ground with multiple injuries all over their bodies
Mwale said the bodies of the deceased had been deposited to Batoka Hospital mortuary awaiting postmortem while an inquiry file has been opened for further investigations over the matter.

Rest in peace. Very unfortunate, but so many folks from overseas don't get the idea of wild animals. The suicide angle sounds a little bizarre!

Interesting to note that my son gave these two a lift and they were going to cycle through the Park and were warned by him that elephants are aggressive here.

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Originally posted by fairgame:
Interesting to note that my son gave these two a lift and they were going to cycle through the Park and were warned by him that elephants are aggressive here.

Something tells me that they didn`t take his advice!

You wouldn't ketch me cycling through any area where elephants were.

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they were going to cycle through the Park

Surprising that bicycles or cyclists are permitted access or transit through the Park in the first place.

quote:

Originally posted by fulvio:

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they were going to cycle through the Park

Surprising that bicycles or cyclists are permitted access or transit through the Park in the first place.

It is not and many tourists do not know the regulations.

I recall a video of a cyclist getting clocked by a hartebeest, if I remember correctly. I don’t know exactly where, but if PG can get you, then so can predators and DG.

Sad story.

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:

quote:

Originally posted by fulvio:

quote:

they were going to cycle through the Park

Surprising that bicycles or cyclists are permitted access or transit through the Park in the first place.

It is not and many tourists do not know the regulations.

Or probably been watching too many "Lion King" movies.

People think elephants are sweet like in movies and cartoons .We had the same thing in.Alaska with people and bears and moose !

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Originally posted by dgr416:
People think elephants are sweet like in movies and cartoons .We had the same thing in.Alaska with people and bears and moose !

And Buffalo in Yellowstone.

quote:

Originally posted by dgr416:
People think elephants are sweet like in movies and cartoons .We had the same thing in.Alaska with people and bears and moose !

They also think that if we just “leave them alone” they will never die.

One of the first things Thierry told us in the Save' was "these are not the type of elephants you feed peanuts to!"

Darwinism at work.

BH63

Last night I spoke to a very close friend of one of the deceased (Sabine) whom she had introduced to Griezmann (matchmaking) and whom had just returned from Livingstone where she had gone to pay her last respects and organized the repatriation of the remains of her friends.

She pointed out that Sabine had been managing the camp in Vuma Hills, within the Mikumi National Park and claimed to have a 12 year experience with wild animals and was "well-versed" with the habits of Elephants.

The Elephant that trampled, gored and made a mess of the both of them was apparently within the camp chalets and had come to within 20 yards from where they were standing when it decided to charge.

Sabine tried to run (at 20 yards would have been futile to escape) but stumbled and fell over (we know what followed) - Her companion attempted to distract the enraged animal and he turned his attention on him and we know of the outcome.

According to the lady who narrated the events, the corpses were almost unrecognizable due to the trampling, tossing, pounding and goring they had been subjected to.

The deceased woman was cremated a day or two later and the late Griezmann's body is scheduled to be flown out today for the Netherlands.

The two were apparently touring with a camper of sorts.