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Elephant Charges, Kills Tourists

Guides shoot but can't prevent the deaths of two women on walking safari in Zambia
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jul 3, 2025 5:25 PM CDT
Elephant Charges, Kills Tourists
A family of elephants graze in Kenya, Saturday, May 2, 2020.   (AP Photo/Khalil Senosi, File)

Two female tourists in Zambia were killed by an elephant Thursday while on a walking safari in a national park, police said. Eastern Province Police Commissioner Robertson Mweemba said the victims—68-year-old Easton Janet Taylor from the UK and 67-year-old Alison Jean Taylor from New Zealand—were attacked 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. The elephant was hit and wounded by the gunshots, the AP reports. But the guides were unable to prevent the elephant's attack, and both women died at the scene, police said.

It happened at the South Luangwa National Park in eastern Zambia, around 370 miles from the capital, Lusaka. Female elephants are extremely 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 both cases, the tourists were also elderly women and were on a safari vehicle when they were attacked, per the AP.

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