A safari experience turned to tragedy when elephants trampled a man as his fiancée was helpless to watch. The two were in South Africa on vacation together.
43-year-old Carlos Luna was with his partner at Pilanesberg National Park. That's when their animal safari turned deadly. The couple were with two other women when they spotted three elephants and two of their young at the park. The man ended up hopping out of his car to get closer. Luna wanted a better picture of the animals, but he ended up getting closer than expected.
By leaving the car, Luna spooked the creatures. One of the elephants turned towards the man. That's when it went on the offensive and attacked. Pieter Nel, a spokesman for the North West Parks and Tourism Board, believes the elephant was the matriarch of the group. Luna's presence "agitated" the creature, leading it to charge at the man.
Elephants Trample Man
Sadly, he was unable to escape the elephant. To make matters worse, the rest of the elephants ended up trampling him. He later died from his injuries at the hospital. Alex Lacadena, a Spanish safari agency boss, believes the tragedy could have easily been avoided. He said Luna ignored one of the first rules of a safari.
He said, "The first rule of a safari is not to get out of the vehicle or get up.When you're in a 4x4 wild animals don't see people, they see a block and they only react when you do something out of the norm." Fortunately, no one else was hurt by the animals. However, his partner is understandably upset.
Luna lived in the town of Ejea de los Caballeros. He worked at a cleaning firm. His colleagues remembered him well. "He liked motorbikes and going out on his mountain bike," the man added.
Thami Matshego, chief executive officer of the North West Parks and Tourism Board, told local news outlet Netwerk24: "Tourists are constantly reminded about the importance of staying inside their vehicles when visiting the park, and to keep a good distance between animals and their vehicles and give animals a chance to move freely, and to only get out of vehicles in safely designated areas."
