AN officer from the Department of National Parks and Wildlife has been trampled to death by an elephant, leaving his body mutilated during an educational tour of 43 pupils in the Kafue National park.
It is believed that Happy Kasonde aged 36, the now deaceasd saw an elephant near the road and asked the pupils to get off the bus so that they could see the wild animal at close proximity.
Zambia Police Spokesperson Rae Hamoonga said the deceased however, did not know that the elephant had a calf and so it charged at the pupils and they ran back on the bus, as the deaceasd fired shots in an attempt to stop it.
Mr Hamoonga said the elephant continued to charge at him until it trampled on him , leaving his body mutilated.
“Mumbwa Police Station received a report of an Elephant attack in which Happy Kasonde was trampled upon and killed by an Elephant. This occurred on July 8,2022 at about 13:30hours in Kafue National Park Chunga area, Mumbwa.”
“Facts are that 43 pupils from Jemis academy from within Mumbwa went for an educational tour in the Kafue National park being escorted by a Department National Parks and Wildlife officer Kasonde Happy, when he saw an elephant near by the road on Chunga road, he got off the vehicle and called the pupils to get off the bus to the nearby thicket to view an elephant, not knowing that, the animal had a calf and it charged towards them, the children ran back to the bus as he was firing shots in an attempt to stop it, but it continued charging until it trampled on him mutilating the body,” he said.
He added that the school bus was driven off the scene leaving the officer under attack.
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