Man 'Severely Injured' After Being Trampled by an Elephant

A man has been "severely injured" at Kruger National Park (KNP) in South Africa after he was trampled by an elephant.

On Tuesday, the field ranger was on patrol with colleagues when a breeding herd of elephants crossed the road in front of them.

SA National Parks (SANParks) spokesperson Ike Phaahla told Newsweek that the man is in a "very serious condition."

"One of the elephants turned back and charged the field ranger, which resulted in him sustaining serious injuries. His colleagues managed to rescue him by firing a warning shot at the elephant, which ran off, and they were able to immediately call for help."

A helicopter with a doctor and support team responded to the incident and the injured ranger was stabilized at the scene before being transported to the hospital for further medical attention.

Elephants are usually peaceful animals, but females can occasionally become aggressive when young calves are present, and bulls are also known to become aggressive in musth.

Musth refers to a condition marked by heightened aggressive and unpredictable tendencies that occur due to a surge in testosterone.

Herds of elephants can range from 2 to 24 animals who communicate through gestures, touch, smell, and sounds.

The largest male elephants are known to weigh up to 15,000 pounds and range from around 6-7 feet tall.

Head Ranger Catherine Dreyer expressed relief that the field ranger was not fatally wounded and was quickly attended to.

Dreyer told Newsweek: "These are the daily dangers that we face in protecting our natural heritage and the Park from all wildlife crime. The possibility of being attacked by a dangerous wild animal is always present; and in some instances, unavoidable, especially with the bush being so thick during this time of the year. It makes it difficult to see animals from a distance and have sufficient time to react.

"We are grateful though that we managed to stabilize our colleague and transport him to the hospital, and we have him and his family in our prayers. We would also like to thank all field rangers who were with him at the time and assisted in stabilizing and transporting him under very difficult conditions," she added.

"We have 17,000 elephants in the park," said Phaahla: "[The animal in question] moved away from the herd and can't possibly be traced."

The identity of the injured field ranger is being withheld until his family has been formally notified.

"There will be a debriefing report compiled by the Rangers Corps into the incident as per protocol and results thereof will be furnished to the KNP Management Committee," said Phaahla. "Ranger Services are continually looking at ways to improve the safety of rangers on patrol."