Dangerous Animal Incidents

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Chinese tourist dies from 'serious' injuries after hippo bites on his chest in Kenya
2018-08-13 06:00 AP

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A Chinese tourist died after he was attacked by a hippo when he was taking pictures on the shore of Lake Naivasha in the Rift Valley, just hours after a hippo killed a local fisherman in the same area, Kenya's wildlife authority said Sunday.

A second Chinese tourist was injured in the incident on Saturday night and received treatment in the local hospital in Naivasha, 91km southeast of Nairobi, the Kenya Wildlife Service said in a statement.

In the same area, a fisherman was attacked by another hippo a few kilometers from the scene of the first incident where the Chinese died, a police official said.

"The man was bitten on the chest and his injuries were serious and he died minutes after he was retrieved from the lake," said Rift Valley Head of Criminal investigations Gideon Kibunja.

The deaths brought to six the number people who have been killed by hippos around Lake Naivasha so far this year.

Wildlife service spokesperson Paul Udoto said the circumstances are not clear in which the two Chinese were attacked. He said attacks on tourists are rare because they are usually protected by guides.

He said hippos and lone buffalos pose the greatest danger to humans and there have been many attacks in which civilians and even rangers have lost their lives.


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Africa / 24 July 2018, 11:40am / Su-an Müller-Marais

phpBB [video]


WATCH: Elephant charges and hits boat full of tourists
Radio and TV presenter Su-an Müller-Marais told LatestSightings.com about the experience:

“We were spoilt to visit the beautiful Kasane area in Northern Botswana in celebration of my mother-in-law’s 60’th birthday. We were driving on the river, looking out for wildlife, when we came across a bunch of boats circling around an elephant wading in the river. We slowed down and shut off the engine so it wouldn’t bother the elephant. The Chobe-river was in full flood and the strong current pulled us very close to the elephant. We could hear the elephant plucking, chewing and breathing. We were cautious but in awe of this magnificent animal in front of us. I barely started recording this when the elephant charged!"


"We were very scared when the bull came charging and we didn’t hear the engine start to drive away, but our experienced guide knew better. The rumbling engine would have probably upset the elephant even more and then we might not have lived to share the story. The elephant pushed our boat away and we drifted off with wet pants, in absolute disbelief of what just happened versus what could have happened.

“A lucky shot almost became an unlucky spot,” I thought. We were in shock, awe and relieved at the same time that everyone was safe and the boat in one piece. I even congratulated my mother-in-law again on her birthday “from all the Chobe-elephants.” I was, of course, sarcastic, but really thankful to literally celebrate her life (and ours) because her birthday could easily have been her last day.

Our visit to Kasane left us with renewed respect for animals and a deeper passion for Creation. It was an honour to experience the abundance of life and the cleanliness of a country that welcomes tourists with open arms because they are proud of their land and they know how much tourism means for their economy.
Original story from Latestsightings.com


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Scientist, son 'critical but stable' after giraffe attack
2018-09-06 07:17

Tammy Petersen

Scientist Dr Katy Williams and her son remain in critical condition following a giraffe attack, but the incident is "an unfortunate act of nature", says her husband, Dr Sam Williams.

Sam, who like his wife is a scientist with post-PhD experience in an animal-related field, returned from a trail run on the Blyde Wildlife Estate in Hoedspruit on Monday evening to find his wife and their son, Finn, under attack from a giraffe who had recently given birth to a calf.


According to a statement released on behalf of the family by their lawyer Marina Botha, Sam managed to chase the animal away.

"He confirmed that they understand nature and with the information available at the moment, he regards the incident as an unfortunate act of nature, where the giraffe saw his wife and son as a threat to her young one," Botha said.

The attack happened 150m from the family's home, where Finn usually waits for Sam, a UK resident, to return form his run.

The toddler and his mother, originally from the US, were treated at the scene before being airlifted to Busamed Modderfontein Hospital in Johannesburg.

ER24 was among the emergency services that responded to the scene, and reported that both had sustained numerous injuries and were in critical condition.

Botha said an operation was performed on Finn during the early hours of Tuesday morning to release pressure on his brain from injuries he had suffered.

Both are stable but in critical condition.

https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News ... k-20180905


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Giraffe will be kept safe despite violent attack on mother, son
2018-09-08 07:57

Christina Pitt


The giraffe that attacked Dr Katy Williams and her 3-year-old son, Finn, at a wildlife estate in Hoedspruit, Limpopo, will be moved with her calf and will not be killed.

Katy's husband Dr Sam Williams returned from a trail run on the Blyde Wildlife Estate in Hoedspruit on Monday evening to find his wife and their son under attack from a giraffe that had recently given birth to a calf.

The attack happened 150m from the family's home, where Finn usually waits for Sam to return from his run. It is presumed that the giraffe attacked Katy and Finn as she viewed the two as a threat to her newborn calf.

The toddler and his mother were treated at the scene before being airlifted to Busamed Modderfontein Hospital in Johannesburg.

Both Katy and Sam have PhDs in biological anthropology at Durham University in the UK and have more than a decade of experience studying wild animals.

"We are very aware of how wild animals behave and how we should behave around them," Sam said via his lawyer Marina Botha.

'Long, hard road to recovery'

"We also realise with all the knowledge that anyone can have, wild animals remain unpredictable as this tragic event has once again shown."

He is thankful that the giraffe will remain safe as he has "no doubt that this is what Katy would want".

The little boy is still in a critical condition and the consequences of his traumatic brain injury are unknown. He is being kept under sedation.

Only once he has woken up will doctors be able to determine whether he has any signs of permanent damage to his brain.

Katy's operation was a success and she is being kept under sedation to allow her body to heal.

"I realise that even if things go well, we still have a long, hard road to recovery ahead of us, but I am hoping that we can one day go back to throwing rocks into the river together and have bedtime snuggles," Sam said.

https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News ... n-20180908


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Elderly man survives deadly crocodile attack

BY STAFF WRITER - 09 September 2018

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A 71-year-old man has lived to tell the tale of how he survived a crocodile attack on the Olifants River in Limpopo.

Explaining the incident to emergency services‚ Peter Knottenbelt said: “My granddaughter and I were crossing the Olifants River by foot when I inadvertently stepped on the back of a 3m crocodile.

“The moment I stood on the crocodile’s back‚ it reacted with violence‚ gripping my right leg in its jaws and throwing me from side to side. I heard bones in my leg being crushed.

“While I fought for my life‚ I thought it was futile against such a large predator.”

Knottenbelt was on a family outing and his relatives were on the bank of the river‚ watching in horror.

Miraculously‚ rangers came to his rescue minutes later.

“As our family members watched the gruesome situation that was unfolding‚ some rangers who own another guesthouse about 100m downstream heard the screams for help‚” he said.

The rangers got into the water and attempted to scare off the angry crocodile‚ but this was not enough. Knottenbelt was forced to fight the angry animal with his bare hands.

“I managed to find its head while it was swimming into deeper water for the inevitable drowning‚” Knottenbelt said.

“I forced my thumbs into its eye sockets with all my might. I think this went on for about five minutes‚ after which I believe the croc was disoriented and literally spat me out close to a sandbank.”

One of the rangers jumped into the river‚ dragging Knottenbelt to the shore‚ severely injured after an ordeal lasting about 20 minutes.

Later, treatment revealed a broken sternum with bruising to the heart‚ six broken ribs‚ a punctured lung‚ massive tissue damage‚ a dislocated right collarbone‚ a fractured scapular‚ two broken wrists‚ internal bleeding and multiple fractures of his right leg and foot.

Following treatment in Polokwane‚ Knottenbelt was airlifted to Johannesburg for intensive care and operations.

“At this stage‚ I was entirely unconscious under sedation.

“I was placed in trauma ICU at a hospital in Johannesburg at 2am on January 7.

“Twelve surgeries followed during my induced coma over the next 14 days.”

After 44 days of intensive care‚ Knottenbelt was transferred to a general ward and then to a rehabilitation centre close to his home in Benoni.

He believes he would have lost his life if it weren’t for the professionals involved in his rescue and rehabilitation.

“I could easily have passed on had it not been for the professional care given to me by the medical and helicopter staff. I also believe that the many prayers and messages of support have been a driving force in my recovery‚” he said.

Knottenbelt said he was now focusing on the development of young people.

“This second chance at life stimulates me further to support humanity in any way I can.”


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:shock: :shock: :shock: 0:


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Blyde Wildlife Estate to relocate giraffe after attack on woman and her son
2018-09-14 20:21

Sesona Ngqakamba


Blyde Wildlife Estate plans to relocate the female giraffe that attacked a woman and her son earlier this month.

"Once all the procedures and requirements are in place, the giraffe will be relocated," Marina Botha, a family spokesperson, said in a statement.

The giraffe, which had given birth shortly before, attacked Katy Williams and her three-year-old son Finn.

According to Botha, Katy has regained consciousness, but Finn continued to be sedated.

"Katy's recovery is going well and her condition is improving daily. She understands that it will take time to recover fully, but she has a positive attitude and she is surprising doctors with her rapid progress.

"We can confirm that he [Finn] is breathing independently and we hope to have more information in the near future," Botha added.

She said the estate's manager Riaan Cilliers said the property was home to many different species of plains game only, but that dangerous animals such as lions, elephants and leopards, were not in the area where the Williams family resided.

Botha said Cilliers added that an animal's behaviour could be unpredictable and could change when there was a young one around.

Katy and Finn were waiting for her husband, Sam, to return from a trail run on the estate near Hoedspruit when they were attacked by the giraffe.

Katy is communicating by writing words and sentences on paper, Botha said.

Friends of the family started a fundraiser on behalf of Katy and Finn to assist with their recovery.
https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News ... n-20180914


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Giraffe calf dies during relocation after attack on mother and son
2018-09-18 15:58

Christina Pitt

The giraffe cow involved in the attack on Dr Katy Williams and her son Finn was successfully relocated on Tuesday, however her two-month old calf did not survive.

Earlier this month, Katy's husband Dr Sam Williams returned from a trail run on Blyde Wildlife Estate in Hoedspruit to find his wife and their son under attack from a giraffe that had recently given birth to a calf.

The attack happened 150 metres from the family's home, where Finn usually waits for Sam to return from his run. It is presumed that the giraffe attacked Katy and Finn because she viewed the two as a threat to her newborn calf.

Blyde Wildlife Estate manager Riaan Cilliers confirmed the calf's death.

"We are all devastated by this very sad news," he said.

He added that all necessary precautions and legal requirements were adhered to during the relocation process.

Williams previously told News24 that he was thankful that the giraffe would remain safe as he had "no doubt that this is what Katy would want".

https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News ... n-20180918


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The Zambezi Society understands that in the late afternoon of Wednesday 26th September a German national visiting Mana Pools was trampled by an elephant near the Zambezi River close to the ZimParks HQ at Nyamepi.

ZimParks have stated that the woman subsequently passed away later while being evacuated out of the Park for medical treatment.

We are trying to establish the full facts of this tragic incident and extend our heartfelt sympathy to the family and friends for their terrible loss.

The Zambezi Society’s role is to assist in ensuring that the lessons learned from this are translated into helping guide the future of tourism in Mana Pools, which is a prime wilderness National Park and World Heritage Site.

In the meantime, we appeal to Social Media users not to spread rumours – for the sake of the family concerned and for the sake of the elephants of Mana Pools.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/zambezisociety ... tn__=kCH-R


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:no:


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