A U.S. tourist became the second American to be killed by an elephant in Zambia this year after she was trampled while on vacation on June 19.
In a tragic incident that underscored the dangers of wildlife tourism, Juliana Gle Tourneau was in a vehicle watching the herd when an elephant threw her out and killed her.
Her group was parked near the Maramba Cultural Bridge in Livingston because of traffic caused by the elephant herd. That made the tourist from New Mexico a sitting target for the elephant who was able to single her out.
Elephants in Chobe National Park Botswana, neighboring Zambia. A U.S. tourist became the second American to be killed by an elephant in Zambia this year after she was trampled while on vacation on June 19. Elephants in Chobe National Park Botswana, neighboring Zambia. A U.S. tourist became the second American to be killed by an elephant in Zambia this year after she was trampled while on vacation on June 19. Sergi Reboredo/Associated Press
Earlier this year, another American tourist was killed while on a game drive in Kafue National Park, Zambia. Gail Mattson died after an elephant charged her vehicle, killing the 79-year-old and injuring four others.
Keith Vincent, executive director of Wilderness, a safari operator company, told ABC that the elephant’s charge was unexpected, and the guide had no opportunity to drive away.
The two deaths occurred after 60 people in neighboring Zimbabwe were killed by elephants in 2023. According to parks authorities in Zimbabwe, elephant attacks have risen as climate change forces elephants to change their migratory patterns across southern Africa.
Tinashe Farawo, spokesman for the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks), told The Guardian in 2023: “Elephants know no boundaries. They are moving in search of water and food.”
Farawo said he cannot quantify how many elephants have moved south in recent years, but there is massive congestion and overcrowding in wildlife areas in the region. The overcrowding has led to elephants storming human areas in search of food and water.
Despite the elephant population increasing in Zimbabwe, more elephants are dying in the larger region than ever before. Experts suspect this is a result of heat stress and increased poaching.
Out of the 228,000 elephants in Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, a survey found that the “carcass (mortality) ratio” was at 10.5 percent in 2023. The five countries contain half of the world’s savanna (African bush) elephants, and the deaths have put immense pressure on conservation efforts.
Some Zimbabwean officials have called for re-legalizing ivory sales so that the money can go towards future elephant conservation efforts. Some Zimbabwean officials have called for re-legalizing ivory sales so that the money can go towards future elephant conservation efforts. Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi/Associated Press
According to The Nature Conservancy (TNC), elephants are important to study because they play a crucial role in the larger environment around them. Elephants help to prevent certain plants from crowding grasslands and they dig boreholes that become water sources during dry periods. If elephants are struggling under climate change, then many other savanna animals will struggle, too.
Zimbabwe has even been lobbying for a temporary lift on its illegal elephant ivory trade, claiming that the money they would make could go toward future conservation efforts.
Elephant Kills 64-Year-Old US Tourist in Latest Attack
