Tame elephant kills handler

2006-06-01 09:37

By Zinkie Sithole

Hoedspruit - A tame elephant is no longer being used for elephant back rides after she trampled her handler to death.

The 11-year-old elephant at Camp Jabulani, an exclusive camp in the Kapama game reserve in Limpopo that offers elephant-back safaris, trampled Edias Makore to death on March 6.

"She has been removed from circulation and we will not use her for future rides anymore," said master elephant trainer Paul Coetzee on Tuesday.

Coetzee declined to say what would happen to the elephant now.

"I will not comment further on this matter. Please leave it at

that," he said.

Makore, a Zimbabwean national, was killed when he tried to lure the elephant back to a herd of five jumbos. When he used a prodder on her, she attacked him.

She knocked him off his feet with her trunk and pinned him to the ground with her forehead.

Makore was pronounced dead on arrival at the Drakensig Military

Hospital.

Coetzee who's been involved with elephants for over 35 years said the elephant's behaviour was uncharacteristic of her.

"I don't know what compelled the elephant to attack Edias. Maybe something from her abusive past was triggered," he said.

He said Camp Jabulani had 13 elephants that were rescued from being culled in Zimbabwe, and that none of them had ever attacked anyone.

The oldest of the elephants is 18 years old and they all started training at the age of four.

He said elephants have a long memory, however, and were highly social animals that mourn their dead. They are also very intelligent and can respond to at least 50 different instructions.

About 200 tourists visit the camp per month where two elephant-back rides are offered each day; one in the morning and one in the evening.

- African Eye