A male visitor from Portugal was injured by an elephant, at the Pilanesburg National Park, on Friday, the 14th September 2024.
Thami Matshego, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the North West Parks and Tourism Board, said
the incident occurred around 1pm, in the centre of the park near the Mankwe Lake.
“According to eye witnesses, two people were outside their vehicle during a self-game drive. It is not clear if they were aware that they were in the middle of a family herd of elephants, but they were warned to get back into their vehicle by other people nearby who saw the elephants. One of the tourists was suddenly attacked by an adult elephant and sustained serious injuries. The person was rushed to the local hospital where he was stabilized and later transferred to a hospital in Pretoria.”
The herd of elephants remained in the area, but there was no further aggression observed amongst the herd.
Heinrich Neumeyer, of the National Park, took to social media, when the incident happened, and disclosed the Park visited the injured man in hospital.
He said witnesses were also traumatized by the incident.
Matshego said this incident follows very close to a previous incident in July 2024, when a Spanish tourist was killed by a family herd of elephants in Pilanesberg Nature Reserve.
Similarly, the person was outside his vehicle and was charged and killed by an elephant.
“It is important to note that incidents like these do not only affect people but are also very distressing to the elephants, and repeated incidents can change their behavior towards tourists.
The Board would like to reiterate that Pilanesberg National Park has rules and regulations that are printed on the entry permit that need to be adhered to, for the safety of our valued guests and animals.”
As a result, the Board will embark on an educational and awareness Programme, to promote good conduct, ahead of a free access week campaign next week.
Picture: Kwamaritane bush lodge