When will people realize that large animals can be dangerous?
African elephants are the largest animals in existence today. The big tuskers in South Africa are intelligent, clannish, and protective of their young. They also tend to step on anything they feel is too close.
According to reports, a Spanish tourist was “trampled” to death by elephants after he approached them for photos.
Officials told AFP that the fatal incident involving a 43-year-old man occurred Sunday in the Pilanesberg National Park, outside of Johannesburg.
The police spokesperson, Sabata Mokgwabone, told the news agency that reports suggested the man had stopped his vehicle and walked closer to the animals to take photos. Authorities also confirmed that the tourist’s fiancee was with him.
According to the North West Parks and Tourism Board, a female elephant charged at the man, and he “was unfortunately not able escape or evade this elephant, who was now joined by its entire herd and was trapped and trampled into death.”
The entire herd. It would not be pleasant for long. It’s not much comfort to his fiancee who, according to reports, witnessed the entire incident.
The tourist is suspected of violating several park rules when he climbed out of his vehicle and approached the pachyderms.
According to AFP, officials at Pilanesberg National Park advise visitors driving in the area to keep their windows shut and not get out of their cars.
The female African bush elephant, such as the one shown here, can reach a height of over 8 feet at the shoulders and weigh up to 7,000 pounds. That’s about 3,200 kilograms if you’re from a nation that doesn’t have men on the Moon. They are enormous. The animals are also fast. They can move up to 30 miles an hour, which is much faster than humans. They are strong and dexterous, with trunks that can be used to crush smaller animals against the ground. The unfortunate Spanish tourist was only trampled by the trampling elephant.
What universe would make it a good idea for you to take a selfie with these creatures?
Sadly, this has happened. Camera technology is so advanced, and even tiny cameras built into cell phones are now so high-quality that it’s difficult to see how anyone could benefit from this. Recently, I had to compare photos that my wife took using her Canon A-1 camera, which is one of the most advanced 35mm film cameras made. Even landscape photos taken under bright sunlight on high-resolution film weren’t nearly as good as those taken with our digital DSLR. It doesn’t seem like there was any reason why the Spanish man in question could not have taken a great photo, except, and this speculation is pure, that he’s the latest person to have killed themselves by trying a “selfie”, in stupid conditions.
It’s sad because it could have easily been prevented.
