Safari guide charges elephant, A SAFARI GUIDE who drunkenly charged
at an elephant at a South African reserve where he worked has been fired
from his job.
A video showing the off-duty guide running at the elephant in the
country’s famous Kruger National Park has been viewed more than 250,000
times since it was posted online on Saturday.
In the video, the man is seen pausing before running head-on at the
elephant. He briefly stops before running even closer, at which point
the elephant runs away. The man is then high-fived by one of the people
watching him.
The man was originally assumed to be a tourist. However in a statement
on its Facebook page, Singita Game Reserve, which operates lodges in
the giant park, said it had carried out an internal investigation into
the video and found that he was an employee.
“The guide involved is no longer employed by Singita and further
disciplinary procedures are in progress with regard to others involved,”
the company said.
The company said the elephant was “extremely agitated” by the confrontation before it retreated into the bush.
“We cannot stress enough that the behaviour displayed in this video
completely contradicts Singita’s guiding ethos and values towards
conservation and wildlife preservation,” Singita said.
