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NewsDay

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Jumbo tramples German tourist to death

News
A GERMAN tourist was killed by an elephant at Mana Pools National Park on Wednesday while taking selfies close to the animal.

A GERMAN tourist was killed by an elephant at Mana Pools National Park on Wednesday while taking selfies close to the animal.

By Everson Mushava

The body of the lady, believed to be in her late 40s, is at a mortuary in Karoi, while government makes efforts through the Zimbabwean embassy in Germany to notify her relatives.

Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority spokesperson Tinashe Farawo confirmed the development.

He said the authority was still investigating the matter.

“We are still investigating the issue. We don’t know what irritated the animal. It’s a female elephant and it does not normally behave that way,” Farawo said.

He warned tourists against getting too close to wild animals.

The lady was believed to be in the company of two other tourists when she was killed.

“We also encourage tourists not to try to feed the animals. These are wild animals and they can be dangerous,” he said.

Mana Pools is one of the biggest national parks in the country, lying in the far north along the Zambezi River bordering Zimbabwe and Zambia.

The park is well known for wildlife diversity and visibility beside the mighty Zambezi River and in the flood plains, where there are large populations of elephants, hippos and Nile crocodiles that gather at sunrise in the Long Pool while the lions will be waiting for their prey in the south of the park, which is a Unesco World Heritage Site.

Elephants in the regions are often said to be very friendly.