Son of Tourist Killed by Elephant Doesn't Blame Animal — Nor Would Mom

The son of an American tourist killed by a raging elephant while on an safari in Africa isn't blaming the animal — nor the driver of the attacked truck.

Blake Vetter, of Minnesota, told the Daily Mail that his mom was aware of the risks she was taking.

His mother, 80-year-old Gail Mattson, also from Minnesota, suffered fatal injuries Saturday while traveling with a friend and four others on a game drive in the Kafue National Park in Zambia when an angry elephant charged their vehicle. She died shortly afterward in a local hospital.

"She was really looking forward to this, and she also knew there were risks and that anytime something could happen," Vetter said.

"People want to blame the elephant and the driver. It's awful how people don't know what's going on. The elephant was being an elephant. My mom would be the first to defend the driver and the elephant," he told the Mail.

Video of the attacks shows the vehicle stopped as the elephant lunges. Vetter believes the driver did what he was supposed to do, and likely saved lives.

'"The driver stopped because if he kept going they were gonna get injured. He was very professional," Vetter added. "He hollered at the elephant; most times they do run away."

The CEO of safari organizer Wilderness Zambia said in a statement, however, that the terrain made a quick escape difficult.

The operation's guides are "all extremely well trained and experienced, but sadly in this instance the terrain and vegetation was such that the guide's route became blocked and he could not move the vehicle out of harm's way quickly enough," the statement added.

Mattson, a grandmother of one, was an adventurer who loved to travel since retiring at the age of 55, said Vetter. She had traveled to Africa this time with a friend, who was also injured in the attack, but has since returned to the U.S.

Vetter said his his family is still working to bring Mattson's remains back home.

Tags

Safari, Africa