Elephant gores handler

2013-01-08 08:32

George - An elephant handler at a Garden Route game reserve is in a serious condition in hospital after he was gored by the elephant he was looking after.

The incident happened at the Botlierskop Private Game Reserve near Klein Brak River, reported Beeld.

Emmanuel Ghama, 37, was busy brushing an elephant cow called Tsotsi when she turned to him and gored him with one of her tusks, puncturing his gall bladder and liver.

Ghama underwent an emergency operation and was in a serious yet stable condition in a Mossel Bay hospital.

Game reserve owner Arnold Neethling said Ghama had been working as an elephant handler for the past three months and was originally from Mozambique.

“In the elephant world this was an accident. Tsotsi was perhaps irritable and just wanted to say: ‘Stand aside, I don’t want this now.’

“It may also have been that she got a fright. If she had really wanted to kill him, she would have,” said Neethling.

None of the other elephant handlers saw what had happened and only spotted Ghama lying on the ground after the incident with the elephant grazing peacefully next to him.

She did not act aggressive at all during the day, said Neethling.

- News24