Elephant kills SA man in Botswana

[0000DS]

Cape Town - An estate agent from Knysna has described how her husband was killed by an elephant cow, which she had been photographing only minutes earlier, at a watering hole on a game farm in Botswana.

Ling Dobson told the Cape Times newspaper on Thursday that her husband Mike, 67, had been killed at the weekend, in a "once-in-a-lifetime freak accident" which happened "in the blink of an eye" on a private game farm belonging to close friends on the Shashe River in the Thuli block region.

She said they had been walking with their hosts away from a watering hole, where she had taken "the most awesome photographs of the elephant cow", when they heard the animal trumpeting.

"Mike was walking in front of me. The elephant took fright. No one knows what spooked her. I took a detour and Mike took a detour.

"Moments later I asked where Mike was, but by then Mike was no more."

Dobson said she and her friends found him nearby.

Botswana police confirmed that he had been gored by an elephant tusk "with great force".

Dobson said they loaded the severely injured man into a private vehicle and rushed him to the South African border, about 60km away. There they phoned ahead, to be met by an ambulance in Limpopo.

Paramedics confirmed that her husband had not survived.
- SAPA
2011-11-24 10:07

[Mud Dog]

Sad! People forget that these are wild animals, even when they appear to be calm one has to be wary.

[GI Jane]

Have just seen the article......makes one wonder what spooked the animal....we just know so little about them

[zepplin]

Most females hate having you turn your back to them. :wink2:

[Niel]

Most females hate having you turn your back to them.

hkgk

[FIRSTGEER]

Bad one to happen to someone who is possibly close to nature.Wild stays Wild.