This is the horrific moment a crazed bull elephant attacked tourists during a safari in Zambia, killing an American woman. chasing a safari truck for over a mile through a national park.
Six tourists were on a game drive in Kafue National Park when the angry adult male ran out at full speed to overtake the vehicle – before the driver stopped abruptly.
Video shows one tourist saying ‘oh my goodness’ as the elephant keeps pace with the car, while another says ‘oh oh’ and a third adds ‘it’s coming soon’ in the last desperate moments before impact.
The ranger suddenly stops the vehicle before the elephant swings to the right and attacks the tourist truck at a right angle.
The driver shouts loudly ‘hey hey hey hey hey’ when he realizes that it is not a mock attack and that the five-ton elephant, more than three meters high, is planning to carry out a deadly attack.
The three-foot-long tusks hook under the body of the safari truck as the tourist panics and turns it on its side as the CCTV records screams, before doing anything more.
Video captured the shocking moment the elephant attacked the American tourist in Zambia
The elephant seems fixated on the terrified tourists, who are just a few meters away from the beast and hanging from their chairs.
We see the elephant lift the safari truck and turn it on its side before the video disappears.
It has not been confirmed how the American tourist, whose identity has not been released, died.
Safari forums are full of comments saying they cannot understand why the vehicle stopped, although one commenter suggests the driver may have simply hit the road.
Another commentator Bush Bandit says: ‘If you’re being chased by a 5 ton elephant and you’re in a safari truck with big bull bars, believe me you’ll never run out of road’
The national park has not yet commented on the incident.
It is believed that all the guests in the truck were Americans staying at the Lufupa River Camp in Kafue National Park, the oldest and second largest safari park in the world.
The tented camp costs £350 per person per night.
Wilderness CEO Keith Vincent confirmed that an American guest aged 80 was killed and another seriously injured, and four other tourists suffered minor injuries.
The incident happened on Saturday when an aggressive bull elephant attacked.
Mr Vincent said the seriously injured guest was flown to a private medical facility in South Africa and the four others were treated at a clinic and provided with trauma therapy.
He says: ‘Around 9.30 am on Saturday, the six guests were on the game drive when the vehicle was unexpectedly attacked by the bull elephant.
‘Our guides are all extremely well trained and experienced, but unfortunately the terrain and vegetation were such that the guide’s route became blocked.
“He could not move the vehicle out of the danger zone fast enough,” adding that Kafue National Park management immediately provided assistance.
He said they have sent a helicopter to the scene and given the nature of the incident, the police, the Department of National Parks & Wildlife and other authorities are involved in investigating the matter.
Wilderness is a leading conservation and hospitality company that welcomes guests to many African provinces to help conserve iconic wilderness areas.
It currently helps conserve six million hectares of land in eight African countries.
The elephant was able to keep up with the truck before jumping in
The bull elephant is seen attacking the safari truck before overturning it
Mr Vincent added: “This is an extremely tragic event and we extend our deepest condolences to the family of the deceased guest.
‘We naturally also support the guests and the guide involved in this distressing incident. The deceased will be repatriated to the US.”
Kafue National Park is the size of Wales, covers 22,000 square kilometers and is home to Africa’s Big 5: lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo and rhinos.
Elephants kill an estimated 500 people a year in Africa.
In March, a 36-year-old guide was also killed by an elephant in South Africa’s Gondwana Private Game Reserve.
Daniel Kandela died after encountering the last elephant in the herd, separated from his group.
A statement issued at the time read: “His untimely passing leaves a void within the Gondwana family as David was not only a colleague, but also a source of warmth and expertise among his colleagues.
“Our hearts and thoughts remain with David’s family and friends during this extremely difficult time. Gondwana pledges to support all people affected by this tragic incident.”