A Spanish tourist visiting Pilanesberg National Park in South Africa was trampled to death by elephants as his fiancee watched on in horror.
Disregarding warnings from three fellow passengers, the man exited the vehicle in a South African game reserve to take photographs of the wild.
The four visitors were driving around Pilanesberg National Park, close to the world-famous tourist resort Sun City, when they spotted a breeding herd of three young by a lake.
The 43-year-old said he wanted to get close-ups of the six elephants and began walking towards them, according to The Daily Mail.
That's when a ginormous 3.5-ton adult female cow protecting the young herd immediately turned alarmed, charged at the Spaniard, and was joined by two other adult bulls who attacked the screaming man as he attempted to run back to safety through the bush to his group in the car.
Sadly, however, the herd's strength proved to be too much when they knocked him down and trampled him to death.
Witnesses said all that was left of him following the 30-second attack was ripped, blood-soaked clothing with little remains macerated into the earth.
The man was visiting from Spain on holiday with his fiancee and two of her South African friends from Johannesburg when the unfortunate incident occurred on Sunday morning.
"The elephants moved away immediately from the scene without any aggression towards the nearby vehicles and disappeared in the bushes," said a North-West Parks & Tourism Board spokesman.
Park officials were alerted and immediately rushed to the scene to aid the affected persons, secure the scene, and assist with the investigation.
Statements from witnesses who saw the tragic scene unfold suggested the female elephant that charged and attacked him might have done so to protect the herd and young ones.
A park ranger speaking on condition of anonymity revealed:
"It was a very stupid thing to do, and the tourist was literally shouted at to get back in his car but wanted to get photographs of the herd."
"He had walked too far away off the road to be able to make it back to the car in time when he charged. His friends were in a hysterical state and needed immediate expert counseling," the ranger added.
There wasn't much left to identify the victim, he said, stating that despite warnings, people still tend to exit their vehicles to take photos, but most are lucky enough to get away with it.
A female elephant can stand over 11 feet tall at the shoulder, weigh up to 4 tons, and run at up to 25 mph. The bull elephants can be two tons heavier and up to 13 feet at the shoulder.
Pieter Nel, Acting Chief Conservation Officer for the NW Parks & Tourism Board, disclosed that "the case has been handed over to the police for further investigation."
