A tragic incident occurred in Livingstone, Zambia, on Wednesday, claiming the life of a US tourist. 64-year-old Juliana Gle Tourneau was killed when an elephant, part of a herd being observed by tourists, attacked their vehicle. The elephant threw Tourneau out of the car and trampled her. The group of tourists had stopped near the Maramba Cultural Bridge due to traffic caused by the elephant herd.
Southern Province Police Commissioner Auxensio Daka confirmed the incident to the Zambian national broadcaster, ZNBC, stating, “Juliana Gle Tourneau, 64, of New Mexico, United States of America, died on Wednesday around 17.50 after being knocked from a parked vehicle which had stopped due to traffic caused by elephants around the Maramba Cultural Bridge.”
This incident marks the second fatal elephant attack on tourists in Zambia this year. In March, another American tourist was killed during a game drive in a national park when an elephant charged a truck, flipped it over, and caused the fatality. Five others were injured in the incident.
Following these tragic events, Zambian authorities are urging tourists to exercise extreme caution while observing wildlife in the country. They emphasize the importance of maintaining safe distances and respecting the natural environment to avoid such incidents.
