safari

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Tourists: Botswana Safari Took a Terrifying Turn

Mother elephant charges after tourists approach hidden calves on river

(Newser) - Two tourists are recounting a harrowing incident in Botswana, where their canoe safari took a sharp turn when an elephant charged at them. As Jeff Melvin and Larry Unrein tell ABC News , their group of British and American tourists approached what appeared to be a routine herd along the...

Texas Hunter Killed by His African Prey
Texas Hunter Killed
by His African Prey
in case you missed it
Aug 10, 2025 6:50 AM CDT

Texas Hunter Killed by His African Prey

Asher Watkins was tracking Cape buffalo, one of Africa's most dangerous animals, with guides

(Newser) - A Texas man's hunting trip in South Africa ended in his own death—by a Cape buffalo he was pursuing. Asher Watkins, 52, was killed by the 1.3-ton buffalo in Limpopo province on Sunday during an expedition organized by Coenraad Vermaak Safaris. The safari company said Watkins...

He Left Tent to Use the Bathroom, Met a Tragic Death

Lion kills well-known conservation supporter camping with friends in Namibia

(Newser) - A well-known businessman was killed by a lion when he stepped out of his tent at a luxury lodge in Namibia's remote northwest on Friday, police said. Bernd Kebbel, 59, left the shelter near Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp in the Sesfontein area, where he was camping with his...

After Hippo Kills Wife, NJ Man Sues Safari Operator

Craig Manders says African Portfolio failed to give proper warnings about the territorial animal

(Newser) - A New Jersey man who says he watched as his wife was brutally killed by one of the most dangerous animals on Earth has filed a lawsuit, which, to be clear, is not against the hippopotamus. Rather, Craig Manders is suing the Connecticut tour operator that arranged for him and...

Family's Visit to Safari Park Got Very Up Close

Little Paisley Toten, 2, is OK after giraffe lifts her out of pickup truck at Texas attraction

(Newser) - A family's outing at a safari park in Texas ended with a little too much giraffe interaction. Jason Toten tells the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that he and his fiancee were "just getting out of the house" on Saturday when they took their kids to the Fossil Rim Wildlife...

US Woman's 'Dream Adventure' With Elephants Turns Fatal

Gail Mattson, 79, was killed when a bull elephant flipped a safari vehicle in Zambia

(Newser) - An American tourist on a safari tour of Zambia's Kafue National Park died Saturday when an elephant charged the vehicle carrying her. The woman, whom KSTP identifies as 79-year-old Gail Mattson of Minnesota and Arizona, was staying at Lufupa Camp and had ventured out with five others for a...

Kidnapped American Tourist Is Freed

Kimberly Sue Endicott was held in Uganda for 5 days

(Newser) - A kidnapped American tourist is safe and sound after an unexpectedly dramatic vacation. In Uganda for a safari, Kimberly Sue Endicott and her local guide were abducted at gunpoint from Queen Elizabeth National Park on Tuesday night and held for $500,000. The Guardian says it's unclear whether money...

Idaho Wildlife Official's Safari Photos Spark an Uproar

In one, Blake Fischer boasts about killing a 'family of baboons' in Africa

(Newser) - Another controversy is brewing about an American hunter's safari in Africa. This time it involves a Fish and Game commissioner in Idaho named Blake Fischer, who returned from a hunt in Namibia with his wife and boasted by email of all the animals he killed with a bow,...

Hunter Crushed to Death by Collapsing Elephant

South African Theunis Botha killed after encountering breeding herd

(Newser) - Theunis Botha has shot his last elephant. The South African big-game hunter was killed in Zimbabwe on Friday when the hunting party he was leading stumbled onto a herd of elephants that included calves and pregnant females, the Telegraph reports. Sources tell Netwerk24 that three female elephants charged the group...

Safari Guide Kills Tourist for Picking Wrong Seat: Cops

Victim apparently stabbed over dinner in front of kids

(Newser) - A Chinese safari guide is accused of stabbing two Chinese tourists—one fatally—on Monday at Keekorok Lodge, overlooking Kenya's Masai Mara National Reserve, when the couple refused to move from his usual table in the dining room, reports the Daily Nation . "He told them that he could...

Elephant Chases Schwarzenegger's Car

And he has a typical Arnold reaction

(Newser) - What happens in Johannesburg stays in Johannesburg—unless you're Arnold Schwarzenegger and your safari vehicle gets chased by an elephant, in which case, yeah, the entire world is going to see that video. The clip, which Schwarzenegger uploaded himself to YouTube , shows exactly what transpired when the Terminator visited...

Safari Guide Killed by Lion in Cecil's Park

Quinn Swales was leading photographic walking safari in Hwange National Park

(Newser) - A lion charged and killed a safari guide who was leading a group of tourists in the same national park in Zimbabwe that was the home of Cecil the lion , who was killed by a bowhunter in July. Police rep Charity Charamba said today that Quinn Swales was in Hwange...

Safari Park to Visitors: Stop Wearing Animal Prints

And not because it's tacky; animals are getting confused, hungry

(Newser) - A British safari park has hired "animal print bouncers" to look out for guests wearing clothes that could confuse or scare the animals, the Guardian reports. The park has opened a new off-road attraction and animals are becoming alarmed "when they see what looks like zebras and giraffes...

Abused Donkey Gets New Pair of Pants

Israeli animal sanctuary gives Haim a healing gift

(Newser) - A donkey in Israel is faring much better, thank you, after getting a brand new pair of pants. Haim the donkey was abused before finding a home at the Ramat Gan Safari, the Middle East's largest animal sanctuary, the Times of Israel reports. Haim's previous owner used to...

Leopard Plays Gently With Baby Steenbok ... Before Dinner

Safari spots tender, cruel interaction

(Newser) - Hunger finally won out over cross-species maternal instinct in a heart-breaking South African scene captured by safari participants. Witnesses were transfixed when a female leopard grabbed a newborn steenbok, but stopped from eating almost every time the baby cried. The leopard handled it tenderly several times over a period of...

Crash Kills 4 Carter Relatives
 Crash Kills 4 Carter Relatives 
Aug 22, 2008 7:35 PM CDT

Crash Kills 4 Carter Relatives

(Newser) - Four British relatives of actress Helena Bonham Carter died this week in a safari bus crash, the London Times reports. The minibus punctured a tire and overturned 6 hours outside of Johannesburg, South Africa, killing Carter's cousin Fiona Bonham Carter, 51, and three relatives including Fiona's mother. The Oscar-nominated actress...

Zoo Shows Off Baby White Lions
 Zoo Shows Off Baby White Lions 
Jul 16, 2008 6:02 AM CDT

Zoo Shows Off Baby White Lions

Record-breaking number of rare cubs born on the same day

(Newser) - The world's population of just 200 white lions leaped by seven in a single day when twin lionesses gave birth in June, Der Spiegel reports, and the German safari park where they were born has now unveiled the extremely rare cubs. But while one new mom took to motherhood with...

Rangers Kill Taunted Tusker
Rangers Kill Taunted Tusker
Jan 8, 2008 3:25 AM CST

Rangers Kill Taunted Tusker

Elephant executed when teasing partygoers provoke him into trashing cars

(Newser) - Tusker, a 50-year-old bull elephant, was an old  favorite at a safari park in Zimbabwe, but rangers shot him dead after he trampled several cars at a rowdy New Year's Eve party where the animal was taunted. Witnesses say that drunken partygoers teased Tusker by flashing car lights, lighting fireworks,...

Deal Threatens Ancient Tribe in Tanzania

Government agrees to rent safari land, pushing endangered people to the brink

(Newser) - The Hadzabe people of Tanzania walk in age-old footsteps near the once-bountiful Serengeti plain, starting fires with sticks and hunting with handmade poison arrows. Now the tribe has crossed paths with the royal family of Abu Dhabi, and the resulting conflict endangers a way of life that has endured for...

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