KENYA: A British tourist was trampled and killed by an elephant while on honeymoon in Kenya, it emerged yesterday. Patrick Smith (34), was attacked in front of his wife, Julie, while they were on a walk in the Masai Mara game reserve. They had been married for a week, local officials said.
The rare attack took place when the couple were out with a Masai guide at around 9.30am on Sunday.
Jake Grieves-Cook, chairman of the Kenya Tourist Board, said: "The elephants showed no sign of agitation, and in that area they're pretty habituated to visitors. Something spooked them. They rushed away and the visitors were in their path. It was a tragic accident."
Mr Smith, an employee of Reuters in London, was set upon by one of the elephants and killed, he said, but his wife and the guide escaped unharmed.
The Masai guide was not carrying a firearm, Mr Grieves-Cook said.
"The guides tend not to be armed. There are different schools of thought, but the Masai who live their lives in this area don't carry firearms, they carry a spear. In any case, in a situation where a herd of elephants is running away from something, whether somebody has a firearm or not is not going to be an issue."