Elephant Tramples Tourist to Death in Front of His Son (Zimbabwe)
Elephant Tramples Tourist to Death in Front of His Son (Zimbabwe)
Robert Lea, NewsWeek
October 14, 2021
A 71-year-old South African tourist was trampled to death by an elephant.
The incident occurred in Mana Pools National Park along the Zambezi River
in Zimbabwe.
A spokesperson for Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority,
Tinashe Farawo, said in a Twitter post Wednesday that Michael Bernard
Walsh, a veterinarian from Cape Town, was trampled in front of his
41-year-old son. Farawo added that the man has been visiting the park since
1986.
It is with great sadness that a 71 yr old S/African vet doctor was trampled
to death by an elephant in Mana Pools in full view of his 41 year old son.
He has been visiting the park since 1986. MHSRIP @Zimparks @maguranyanga
@eNCA @METHI_Zimbabwe
— Tinashe Farawo (@FarawoTinashe) October 13, 2021
The Associated Press reported that the duo was charged by a tuskless female
elephant as they took a morning walk in the park, a UNESCO World Heritage
Site known for its abundance of wildlife, including elephants.
The father and son had left their car 40 meters (44 yards) away from the
scene of the incident, but Farawo said that because of his age Walsh was
unable to get back to the safety of the vehicle.
"We are extremely concerned because two people have been killed in one week
alone," Farawo added, referencing the death of the member of an
anti-poaching unit Clever Kapandura on Friday, October 8.
Kapandura, a member of the Victoria Falls Anti-Poaching Unit, was killed
when he was attacked by a charging bull elephant while responding to a
report of poaching in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.
The team members who were with Kapandura at the time said they did not know
why the elephant attacked the group, charging at them from a distance of
120 meters.
The Associated Press reported that authorities in Zimbabwe's national parks
are witnessing an increase in confrontations between animals and humans.
Farawo added that more than 40 people have died this year as a result of
such animal encounters.
The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority spokesperson added
that he believes this is because hot dry weather in Mana Pools and other
parks is driving animals into neighboring human communities as they search
for water.
In 2014, it was estimated that Zimbabwe has a population of around 83,000
elephants. This is the second-largest elephant population in the world
after Botswana, which plays host to 130,000 elephants in 2021.
The elephant population of Zimbabwe has increased twenty-fold since 1900
when numbers are believed to have been as low as 4,000. While the recovery
of the species is positive, both countries say that they are struggling to
cope with elephant numbers.
"We are now sounding like a broken record, saying that our animals,
especially elephants, are overpopulated and they are becoming a danger unto
themselves by destroying their own habitat and they are also killing
people," said Farawo. "We receive distress calls from communities almost
every day."