A tourist from New Mexico was killed in Zambia when he was attacked by an elephant, according to the police commissioner investigating the incident. She is the second tourist fatally attacked by an elephant in this South African country this year.
The slain woman, Juliana G. Letourneau, 64, of Alburquerque, had just visited Victoria Falls, a 350-foot waterfall straddling the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe, and was returning to her hotel on Wednesday when Her group was traveling and encountered a herd of elephants on the road.
Auxensio Daka, police commissioner for Zambia’s southern province, said in a phone interview Saturday that she and others got out of their car to observe the animals.
“They stopped to look at the elephants and unfortunately one of them rushed towards them while they were standing there watching,” Mr Daka said.
Ms. Letourneau was taken to a clinic in Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park near Livingstone, Zambia, where she was pronounced dead on arrival, Mr. Daka said. According to a police statement, her injuries included deep wounds to her right shoulder blade and forehead, a fractured left ankle and a slightly sunken chest.
No other injuries were reported following the encounter with the elephant.
Ms. Letourneau’s brother said Saturday he had no details about the incident and declined to be interviewed. Other relatives could not be contacted.
Last March, a 79-year-old American woman was hunting in Kafue National Park, in the west-central region of Zambia, when an elephant crashed into the tour group’s car. according to media reports.
However, according to experts, human deaths are very rare when encountering elephants.
“This is truly a freak accident,” said Nikhil Advani, senior director of the World Wildlife Fund, a nonprofit organization that works on environmental protection and conservation efforts. . “Maybe it was just a combination of unfortunate circumstances that led to this.”
The U.S. State Department said in a statement Friday that millions of Americans travel to wildlife areas every year and that attacks on tourists in Zambia by elephants and other wild animals are something that rarely happens.
Ms. Letourneau’s death was first reported by the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation, a government-controlled news agency, which said encounters between humans and wild animals in Livingstone, the city where the incident occurred incidents, are increasing in the country’s context Worst drought in four decades.
Climate conditions are exacerbating food insecurity in Zambia, which has the highest rate of malnutrition in sub-Saharan Africa, and push wild animals into human habitats to search for food and water, according to the report.
Travel to wildlife sanctuaries, which cover about a third of Zambia, and to its many lakes, rivers and lush valleys make an important contribution of the national economy.
Keeping your distance from elephants is the best way to keep tourists safe, said Joyce Poole, co-founder and co-director of ElephantVoices, a nonprofit organization that studies elephant behavior. She added that sometimes there can be a “culture of aggression” rooted in the history of an elephant-range area, such as in Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique, which has experienced decades of war and persecution. poaching in the 20th century.
“Elephants respond in a certain way to vehicles,” Dr Poole said of his research findings from Gorongosa. “This behavior is then observed by younger elephants, imitated by younger elephants and sort of passed down through families.” She noted that there have been multiple poaching crises in Zambia.
Dr. Poole says finding “a reputable company and drivers who aren’t just racing to get the best photo” is a good way to ensure travelers stay safe.
Experts say visitors to wild areas should also be vigilant and admire animals from afar.
“Like all wild animals, if you keep a safe distance from them, for example, they won’t bother you or interact with you,” Dr. Advani said.
