A field ranger, Lance Corporal Wilson Ndlovu, was attacked and killed by an elephant while he was on normal patrol in the Stoltznek Section of the Kruger National Park.
The ranger and his colleague Raymond Nkuna were on a bicycle patrol and were cycling 15 metres apart when the incident happened at around 07h30. According to KNP investigators, who were on the scene soon after the incident happened, the area is surrounded by two metre-high grass and the rangers wouldn't have seen the elephants until the last possible moment.
Raymond survived the incident. 'We would like to pass on our sincere condolences to the Ndlovu family on their loss. Wilson was said to be one of the finest and most experienced field rangers in the KNP and we will mourn his loss for a long time,' said the KNP's Executive Director, Dr Bandile Mkhize.
Wilson is survived by three brothers, two of whom still work in the KNP, with the oldest having recently retired from the park, and his wife and children, who live in the Mkhuhlu area. Ironically, the name Ndlovu means elephant.
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