Two female tourists were killed by an elephant in Zambia on Thursday while on a walking safari in a national park, according to police.
Eastern Province police Commissioner Robertson Mweemba said the victims — 68-year-old Easton Janet Taylor from the U.K. and 67-year-old Alison Jean Taylor from New Zealand — were attacked and trampled by a female elephant that was with a calf.
Safari guides who were with the group attempted to stop the elephant from charging at the women by firing shots at it, police said.
“They were moving to other camps when the elephant charged from behind. We are really sorry that we have lost our visitors,” Mweemba said. “They both died on the spot.”
The elephant was hit and wounded by the gunshots but the guides were unable to prevent the elephant’s attack.
“It is very difficult to control the animals and tourists like feeding them,” Mweemba added.
It happened at the South Luangwa National Park in eastern Zambia, around 600 kilometres from the capital, Lusaka.
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Female elephants are very protective of their calves and can respond aggressively to what they perceive as threats.
Last year, two American tourists were killed in separate encounters with elephants in different parts of Zambia.
In March 2024, an American tourist was killed when a bull elephant charged the truck she was riding in Kafue National Park. Gail Mattson, 79, of Minnetonka, Minn., was with other tourists when the animal charged, flipping over the vehicle and killing her while injuring five others.
In a separate attack in June 2024, another U.S. tourist was killed by an elephant in the Zambian city of Livingstone.
Officials said Juliana Gle Tourneau, 64, was killed when an elephant that was part of a herd the tourists were watching attacked their vehicle, threw Tourneau out and trampled her.
She was part of a group that had stopped near the Maramba Cultural Bridge due to the traffic caused by the elephant herd near the bridge, they added.
Zambian authorities have called on tourists to exercise extreme caution while observing wildlife around the country.
In another incident in January of this year, a 22-year-old tourist was killed by an elephant at a sanctuary in Thailand after the animal turned on her while she was giving it a bath.
Blanca Ojanguren García, from northwest Spain, was alongside her boyfriend at the Koh Yao Elephant Care Centre on Jan. 3 when the elephant attacked her.
She was rushed to the local hospital, where she died.
Elephants cause approximately 500 deaths per year, worldwide.
— With files from Global News’ Michelle Butterfield and The Associated Press
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