An elephant charged at two female tourists in Zambia, killing them both on July 3. This horrific accident took place in South Luangwa National Park, according to the BBC. The elephant was with her calf when she trampled 68-year-old Easton Taylor from the UK and 67-year-old Alison Taylor from New Zealand.
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Zambia Tourists Die After Elephant With Calf Charges At Them
The duo was partaking in a guided safari tour when the nursing elephant suddenly charged at them. Tour guides attempted to fire shots at the elephant to stop it, but it was of no use. Both women were dead at the scene, according to local police chief Robertson Mweemba.
Easton and Alison were lodging at the Big Lagoon Camp for four days before the attack. This was around 370 miles from the capital, Lusaka.
“They both died on the spot,” said Mweemba. “They were moving to other camps when the elephant charged from behind. We are really sorry that we have lost our visitors.”
Any wildlife expert knows that female elephants are fiercely protective of their young. Zambian authorities have warned tourists many times before about observing elephants in the wild.
With how large adult elephants are, it’s nearly impossible to keep them under control if they get bothered. “It is very difficult to control the animals and tourists like feeding them,” Mweemba added.
Tourist deaths by elephants are more common than you’d think. Just this past January, a 22-year-old Spanish tourist died after an elephant crushed her. She was bathing with the animal alongside her boyfriend when the animal struck her with its trunk.
Whether you’re traveling in Africa or Thailand, where the Spanish tourist died, it’s important to stay vigilant. There are allegedly 2,800 captive elephants throughout tourism venues in Thailand, according to World Animal Protection.
Unfortunately, some of the elephants aren’t treated well in captivity. This may lead to outbursts such as this one elephant from Zambia.
“We assessed 3837 elephants in 357 venues across Asia and found that 63% were living in severely inadequate conditions,” said the organization. “When not performing, they were restrained by short chains in noisy, dirty conditions, had poor diets, and received very limited medical care