A British woman and a woman from New Zealand have been killed by an elephant during a walking safari in Zambia.
The UK’s Easton Janet Taylor, 68, and 67-year-old Alison Jean Taylor were charged by a female elephant and her calf in the incident on Thursday morning, Eastern Province Police Commissioner Robertson Mweemba said.
Safari guides attempted to deter the animal by firing shots, wounding the elephant, but were unable to prevent the fatal attack. Both women died at the scene.
The tragedy unfolded at the South Luangwa National Park in eastern Zambia, approximately 370 miles from the capital, Lusaka. Female elephants are known for their fierce protectiveness of their young, often reacting aggressively to perceived threats.
“[A] team bearer and two female tourists while taking a safari walk to a crossing point at Luangwa river spotted an elephant with a calf at a distance and diverted for about 50 meters away, but within few minutes after diverting, a [team] bearer who is usually behind saw the elephant charging at them,” Mr Mweemba said in a statement published by Zambia Reports.
“He shouted ‘elephant’, as they turned to see, they saw it charging at a high speed and since Alison Jean Taylor had a leg problem, she was caught first and while the Wildlife Police Officer fired warning shots, Female Easton Janet Taylor was caught as well.”
The two women were sisters, according to The New Zealand Herald. Alison was described by a neighbour as an “amazing woman” who had travelled to Antarctica as well as Africa.
The tourists had been staying at a safari camp for four days, and were on their way to another camp called Takwela which involves crossing the Luangwa River with a canoe. Mr Mweemba said it was on this journey through the bush that the tragedy occurred.
The women’s bodies have been taken to Mambew district hospital, he said.
Mr Mweemba said the elephant was wounded in the incident, after she was shot by the wildlife officer.
This latest fatality follows two separate incidents last year in Zambia, where elderly American women were also killed by elephants while on safari.
Juliana Gle Tourneau, 64, was thrown from a vehicle in the city of Livingstone in 2024 as a group of tourists observed a herd of elephants. One of the elephants attacked the vehicle her, according to CBS News. Tourneau’s group stopped near the Maramba Cultural Bridge because of traffic caused by the herd. The woman had been visiting the country from New Mexico.
Another American tourist was killed earlier that same year in a similar attack. Gail Mattson, 79, from Minnesota, was killed in Zambia “while on her dream adventure” in March, her daughter, Rona Wells, told CBS News.
