A handler at an elephant park in South Africa was trampled to death while taking elephants out for exercise, the park’s owner said Tuesday.
The accident happened at around 7 a.m. Monday at the Elephant Sanctuary near Hartbeespoort Dam, west of Pretoria.
About half an hour earlier on the same day, an elephant injured two tourists when it overturned their vehicle in Kruger National Park in the northeastern part of South Africa, according to park authorities.
Craig Saunders, owner of the elephant sanctuary, said the handler, who had been working with African elephants for four years, slipped off the back of an elephant that was engaging in “boisterous behavior” with another elephant.
The handler ended up in the midst of the altercation, which happened during an exercise program for the elephants that is closed to guests, according to Saunders.
Paramedics arrived within 10 to 15 minutes but they were unable to revive the handler.
“It was a pure chance accident,” Saunders said. “There was no maliciousness of any sort displayed by the elephants.”
The name of the handler was being withheld pending notification of his family.
wirestory
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