Dangerous Animal Incidents

[Jesse]

Believe me if I say, I am following this forum fervently. But if what I said is not relevant,

But I do feel that the Rhino episode, well, the tourist got injured running like a hare, maybe even causing the "Rangers" to shoot.

The Elephant, well, it happens.

[Richprins]

But I do feel that the Rhino episode, well, the tourist got injured running like a hare, maybe even causing the "Rangers" to shoot.

Beeld and SP and my contact says the tourists were ushered into hiding, as per Trails protocol?

Maybe I should visit her in hospital tomorrow to ask?

Btw...her name is Dr Aasvalg.

[Jesse]

Eish, I thought it was Dr. Assvoel.

But my typist can read as well.

[leachy]

in the facebook link to the photos, the first two that show the supposed angry ellie

rushing up towards a white chev .......

then we see a white hyundai on it's roof....



for all we know those could be two separate series of photos

[Flutterby]

I thought the same thing leachy....they say the person involved was a woman, but the pics show a guy.

[leachy]

once again false information to add to the sensationalism.....

[Toko]

Elephant attack traumatises tourists

Elephant attack traumatises tourists
2012-11-15 08:49

Nelspruit - Two British tourists were so traumatised after an elephant attack in the Kruger National Park on Monday that they didn't leave their camp for two days. The incident happened on the S25 road between Berg-en-Dal and Crocodile Bridge.

Chris Hare, 40, and fiancée Helen Jennings, 40, told Beeld about how an enraged elephant bull overturned the Hyundai Atos in which they were driving.

"When I came around the bend, the big guy was right in front of us. He walked towards us and I pulled off the road."

"The elephant appeared to walk past the car but then turned back, pushing a tusk against the passenger door and rolling the car.

"It was terrifying and I just thought: ‘But it can't be possible that this is happening'," said Hare.

"They were too scared (on Wednesday morning) to drive out alone in the park and we had to accompany them to the gate," said Sally Kernick of Lukimbi Safari Lodge.

Rangers later said they found blood on the car of the British couple and thought the elephant might have had a tooth abscess. Park rangers have been trying to locate the elephant to check on the animal's well being.

Lerato Mathole, acting Communications Officer for Kruger National Park, said they are not sure what triggered the elephant charge, but that they suspect it may have something to do with a previous injury. While elephants who feel threatened may be prone to mock charges, Mathole states that an incident like this is extremely rare.

[Toko]

And a bit more "info" here

Elephant attack traumatises tourists
2012-11-15 08:49

Elephant attack traumatises tourists
2012-11-15 08:49

[...]

Shortly after the rhino charge, the doctor was airlifted to the park again, after an elephant overturned a car between the Berg en Dal and Skukuza camps.

The elephant charged towards a Chevrolet Aveo hatchback, gored it with one tusk, scooped it up and flipped it over.

This is how visitor Vasti Fourie described what she saw on Monday morning. She and tourists in two other cars were driving on the S25 road in the Kruger National Park in convoy.

Fourie was driving behind the white hatchback and another car was in the front.

She saw the elephant approaching from the side. “It charged towards the side of the car, lifted it up with its tusk, dropped it on its roof and calmly walked away,” she said.

Fourie said the three cars were driving slowly on the road. They stopped when they saw the elephant coming.

“We are supposed to get out of the way of the animals.”

She said the man driving the overturned car froze when he saw the elephant charging towards him.

The same elephant overturned a second car with two passengers, 50m away from where Fourie was driving.

“It all happened so quickly. Afterwards the driver got out of the driving seat and kneeled down in shock. That’s when he realised what just happened,” recalled Fourie.

SA National Parks spokesman Reynold Thakhuli said a man was injured during the incident.

A doctor attended to him at the scene before he was taken to a nearby hospital.

Thakhuli said incidents of this nature were rare at the Kruger National Park.

He urged people visiting national parks to be observant at all times because “animals living on national parks are untamed and don’t think like humans”.

Thakhuli advised that when driving through a national park nothing should protrude from a vehicle.

“When you see an animal approaching do not panic and try to move away as fast as you can.

“Elephants can be very dangerous when they feel threatened,” he said.

Rangers were tracking the elephant to see whether it was injured.

shaun.smillie@inl.co.za; nontando.mposo@inl.co.za

The Star, Cape Argus

[Toko]

And Beeld reports, that the Ellie attacked two cars

Foto's: Olifant skok toeriste

Foto's: Olifant skok toeriste
2012-11-14 22:00

Buks Viljoen


Hulle was so bang nadat ’n olifant hul motor in die Krugerwildtuin omgegooi het dat hulle twee dae lank nie hul ruskamp verlaat het nie.

So vertel Chris Hare (40) van Durham, Engeland, oor die voorval Maandag toe ’n verwoede olifantbul die Hyundai Atos waarin hy en sy verloofde, Helen Jennings (40), was omgegooi het.

Minute nadat die olifant dié Britse paartjie se motor omgerol het, het hy sowat 100 m verder in die pad ’n tweede motor aangeval waarin ’n Amerikaanse toeris was.

Hare en Jennings het onlangs verloof geraak en het as deel van dié viering hul eerste besoek aan Suid-Afrika gebring.

Hulle het Sondag in Suid-Afrika aangekom en die aand in die Berg-en-Dal-ruskamp oornag.

Hulle sou Maandagaand in Onder-Sabie en Dinsdag in Pretoriuskop oornag.

Hulle was die oggend op pad Krokodilbrug toe toe hulle op die olifant afgekom het.

“Toe ek om die draai kom, was die big guy reg voor ons. Hy het aangeloop na ons en ek het van die pad afgetrek.”

Volgens Hare het die olifant verby hulle geloop.

“Toe ek omkyk, sien ek net hy stap op die motor af, druk sy tand teen Helen se deur en rol die motor om!

“Dit was vreesaanjaend en ek het net gedink: ‘Maar dit kan nie moontlik wees dat dit gebeur nie.’”

Jennings het ligte beserings en kneusplekke opgedoen.

“Gelukkig het die olifant se tand nie deur die deur gedring nie, anders kon sy (Jennings) baie seer gekry het.”

Mense wat agter hulle gery het, het personeel van die nabygeleë Lukimbi Safari Lodge, ’n private konsessie in die wildtuin, ontbied.

“Ons was baie bang en is net bly dis verby. Maar ons het darem ’n lekker storie om eendag aan die kleinkinders te vertel,” het Hare gesê.

Sally Kernick van Lukimbi sê hulle het die geskokte paartjie na hul lodge geneem waar hulle die twee dae oorgebly het.

“Hulle was gisteroggend te bang om alleen uit die wildtuin te ry en ons moes hulle tot by die Malalane-hek vergesel.”

Die tweede motor wat die olifant enkele minute ná die aanval op Hare-hulle s’n getakel het, was sowat 100 m van hulle af.

Vasti Fourie en haar lewensmaat, Ben Theron, het die tweede aanval gesien.

Volgens haar het die olifant dié motor van ’n Amerikaanse toeris verskeie keer bestorm.

Die dier het in ’n stadium sy tand onder die Chevrolet Spark ingedruk, die motor opgelig en op die grond neergegooi. Die dier het toe in die bos verdwyn.

“Ons het by hom stilgehou om te hoor of hy oukei was.

“Hy het verstar agter die stuurwiel van sy motor gesit en net geprewel – ek het nie geweet wat om te doen nie.”

Volgens Fourie het veldwagters van die wildtuin bloed op die Britte se motor gekry.

“Hulle vermoed die dier het dalk ’n abses aan die tand gehad.”

Ray Thakuli, woordvoerder van SANParke, wou gister geen verdere inligting gee nie en het gesê die voorval word ondersoek.

[PRWIN]

Two cars flipped We need him for the cycle race