A SAFARI GUIDE who drunkenly charged at an elephant at a South African reserve where he worked has been fired from his job.
A video showing the off-duty guide running at the elephant in the country’s famous Kruger National Park has been viewed more than 250,000 times since it was posted online on Saturday.
In the video, the man is seen pausing before running head-on at the elephant. He briefly stops before running even closer, at which point the elephant runs away. The man is then high-fived by one of the people watching him.
The man was originally assumed to be a tourist. However in a statement on its Facebook page, Singita Game Reserve, which operates lodges in the giant park, said it had carried out an internal investigation into the video and found that he was an employee.
“The guide involved is no longer employed by Singita and further disciplinary procedures are in progress with regard to others involved,” the company said.
The company said the elephant was “extremely agitated” by the confrontation before it retreated into the bush.
“We cannot stress enough that the behaviour displayed in this video completely contradicts Singita’s guiding ethos and values towards conservation and wildlife preservation,” Singita said.
(Video: Kruger Sightings/YouTube)
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