A Swiss tourist is in a critical condition after a minibus knocked a giraffe into the path of his safari camper in South Africa’s famous Kruger National Park.
The 750kg animal crushed the front of the minibus, then stove in the roof of the tourist’s specialised camper. The elderly Swiss man inside was critically injured and was airlifted for treatment by emergency services. He remained on life support at a hospital in Johannesburg on Monday.
His wife, who was also in the car, suffered minor injuries, as did two passengers inside the minibus.
The 18-foot-tall giraffe was killed by the double impact of the crash. South African police are trying to establish why the minibus, which was transferring 13 tourists to a game lodge, collided with the giraffe.
KNP
Park spokesman Mr Ike Phaala described it as "a devastating accident" caused when the "minibus taxi … hit a fully-grown giraffe. The giraffe was, by the force of the impact, knocked across the road onto the roof of a tourist vehicle coming the other way, which was being driven by a married Swiss couple."
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"It is not our job to speculate…" he added. "We remind all visitors that this is a wildlife park and animals have right of way and… can appear unexpectedly."
The taxi that hit the giraffe was carrying tourists to the Letaba Rest Camp inside the park, while the Swiss couple – who were on a self-drive safari holiday – were heading to another camp in the opposite direction.
Giraffes are the largest land animal in the world. They can grow up to 20 feet tall and can weight up to 800kg in the wild.