Giraffe kills toddler in South Africa

• A young child has passed away after being trampled to death by a giraffe.
• Child’s mother is currently in the hospital in a critical condition.
• The police have informed the media that the details are sketchy.

A young child has passed away after being trampled to death by a giraffe on a conservancy in South Africa; the child’s mother is currently in the hospital in a critical condition.

The girl, who had just turned 16 months old, and her mother made their home in the opulent Kuleni Game Park in the KwaZulu-Natal province.

The police have informed the media that the details are sketchy, but they have opened an investigation to figure out what took place.

Giraffes rarely attack people, despite the fact that they are a common sight in the game lodges that can be found throughout South Africa.

“The child was taken to the nearest doctor’s room where she died,” police Lieutenant Nqobile Madlala told media.

It is not clear where in the large game park, that features 14 lodges, the incident occurred on Wednesday.

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The park is located approximately 16 kilometres (10 miles) outside of Hluhluwe in KwaZulu-Natal, a province that is popular with tourists from both domestic and foreign countries.

On its website, the farm says that visitors can “enjoy close encounters with animals while walking or cycling the numerous trails”.

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Giraffes are the world’s tallest mammals and are not usually aggressive. The females can however be aggressive while protecting their calf.

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