Two tourists, one British and one New Zealander, have died after being attacked by an elephant during a walking safari in Zambia.
The incident, confirmed by Eastern Province Police Commissioner Robertson Mweemba, involved 68-year-old Easton Janet Taylor from the UK and 67-year-old Alison Jean Taylor from New Zealand. They were reportedly charged by a female elephant accompanied by its calf.
Safari guides attempted to deter the animal by firing shots, wounding the elephant, but were unable to prevent the fatal attack. Both women died at the scene, police stated.
The tragedy unfolded at the South Luangwa National Park in eastern Zambia, approximately 600 kilometres (370 miles) from the capital, Lusaka. Female elephants are known for their fierce protectiveness of their young, often reacting aggressively to perceived threats.
This latest fatality follows two separate incidents last year in Zambia, where elderly American women were also killed by elephants while on safari. Juliana Gle Tourneau, 64, was thrown from a vehicle in the city of Livingstone in 2024 as a group of tourists observed a herd of elephants. One of the elephants attacked the vehicle her, according to CBS News. Tourneau’s group stopped near the Maramba Cultural Bridge because of traffic caused by the herd. The woman had been visiting the country from New Mexico.
Another American tourist was killed earlier that same year in a similar attack. Gail Mattson, 79, from Minnesota, was killed in Zambia “while on her dream adventure” in March, her daughter, Rona Wells, told CBS News.
