A grandfather’s bid to save his grandson’s life ended in tragedy within the vicinity of Kruger National Park when he was trampled to death by an elephant on Saturday.
According to Lieutenant Colonel Jabu Ndubane of the South African Police Service in Malelane, the 59-year-old man who has been identified as Shaik Adam Shabir Ammed was killed near the park’s Malelane gate.
Detailing the incident, Ndubane said Ammed's grandchildren, aged 5 and 11, were taking pictures and videos of an elephant that was inside the park, not far from the Malelane gate, when suddenly the elephant came charging towards them. While the children and grandfather were fleeing, the 11-year old boy fell down which is when the elephant reportedly attacked the boy's legs with its trunk as he lay on the ground.
"It was during this time when the grandfather went to assist that the elephant turned and trampled on him before it left them and returned into the Kruger national park premises," Ndubane said.
Ammed succumbed to his injuries at the scene before the police and emergency services personnel arrived. The 11-year-old buy survived the attack, sustaining injuries to his leg, while his 5-year-old sister was reportedly unharmed during the incident.
Ammed will be laid to rest on Sunday, as per family religion.
The Malelane police are conducting an official investigation.
When asked what will happen to the elephant responsible for the attack, Ike Phaahla, Kruger National Park Manager of Communications and Marketing told Daily Maverick that SANPark's elephant expert believes if the individual elephant can be identified and continues to show signs of aggression it will have to be put down.
SA National Parks communications official JP Louw implored witnesses not to share any pictures or videos of the incident or the victim, owing to the sensitivity of the matter.
SANParks officials had visited the scene on Saturday to support the family.
Common occurrence
Saturday’s incident is not the first time tourists or poachers have been attacked by elephants in South Africa.
In July 2024, a Spanish man was killed after getting out of his vehicle to take pictures of a breeding herd with three calves in the Pilanesberg National Park in North West. Agitated by his presence, the matriarch charged and trampled him to death.
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In 2019, a suspected rhino poacher was trampled to death by an elephant and his body devoured by lions in the Kruger Park. The only thing that remained of the poacher when rangers found the scene was his skull.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, elephant attacks are becoming more frequent as human settlements and development continue to encroach on wildlife habitats across Africa.
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The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) said this is also occurring in and around the Kruger Park, where large mammals – including buffaloes, lions and hippos – as well as crocodiles are increasingly straying into residential areas, escalating human-wildlife conflict in the region. DM