An elephant encounter in Zambia resulted in the death of an American tourist on Wednesday. It was the country’s second such tourist fatality this year.
Sixty-four-year-old Juliana Gle Tourneau died in the incident near the Maramba Cultural Bridge in the town of Livingstone, according to local affiliate ZNBC.
ABC reported a herd of elephants gathered near the bridge, causing a traffic jam that included Tourneau’s vehicle. She and her companions were observing the elephants when, officials said, one of the animals charged the vehicle, threw Tourneau out, and trampled her to death.
Tourneau, of New Mexico, died around 5:50 pm local time.
It’s the second time an American tourist has lost her life in an elephant encounter in Zambia this year. Minnesotan Gail Mattson, 79, died in March when a bull elephant attacked her safari vehicle in Kafue Nature Reserve.
Although Zambia has been the location of these two 2024 fatalities, elephants can be dangerous anywhere. In India, elephants kill over 100 people each year, and over 200 people have been killed in Kenya over the last seven years, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
