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21 August 2014

Media Release: Local tourists get involved in an accident in the KNP

The tourists came to the Park this morning as day visitors and are back at their home in Tzaneen already. They were on their way to Letaba Rest Camp and passed by the Sable Dam, which overlooks a sleep-over hide and has an abundance of animals that gather to drink. The elephant was busy drinking water from the dam on the opposite side of where the vehicle was, when it suddenly walked through the water towards one of the tourists” car; which was on the other side.

“Although according to the tourists who were there, the elephant did not show any signs of agitation; we would like to appeal to the public to be on the look-out for them when driving in that area. Please ensure that you are not blocked by another vehicle when these huge animals approach, so that you can get away quickly when the need arises”, said the KNP”s GM: Communications and Marketing, William Mabasa.

More than 1, 5 million people visit the KNP each year and incidents of this sort are rare but not unheard of as elephants can toss and uproot trees with ease.

Overturned vehicle in Kruger

Overturned vehicle in Kruger
The tourists” vehicle which was overturned by the elephant at Sable Dam in the KNP today.

Issued By

South African National Parks (SANParks) Kruger National Park Communications
Tel: 013 735 4262

Enquiries

William Mabasa
GM: Communications & Marketing, Kruger National Park
Tel: 013 735 4363, Cell: 082 807 3919
Email: [email protected]

Ike Phaahla
Media Specialist, SANParks
Tel: 012 426 5315; Cell: 083 673 6974;
Email: [email protected]