A man’s disgusting beer stunt with an elephant has caused yet more criticism around how tourists treat local Kenyan animals, with multiple organisations speaking out
A tourist has sparked outrage after a shocking video showing him pouring beer down an elephant’s trunk during a safari in Kenya started circulating online.
Footage shows the Spanish man drinking a can of Tusker, a popular Kenyan beer, before emptying the dregs down a male elephant’s trunk at the Ol Jogi Conservancy wildlife reservation, in Laikipia County. He poked fun at the shocking act by saying in a caption on the video – which he posted to Instagram – he was “just a tusker with a tusked friend”.
The elephant, named Bupa, who has a distinctive damaged tusk, was reportedly rescued from a mass cull in Zimbabwe in 1989 before being brought to the sanctuary aged eight.
READ MORE: Godolphin announce shock death of this year’s 2,000 Guineas winner Ruling CourtREAD MORE: Coronation Street fans ‘in shock’ over Carl Webster’s new fling as star speaks out
In another video, the man is seen feeding two elephants with carrots and saying: “We are on beer time.” The videos, posted by skydive_kenya on Instagram, have since been deleted after spate of furious comments from enraged viewers.
The man, a self-identifying “adrenaline junkie” and posted footage on Monday where he feeds rhinos with carrots at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy.
An investigation into the beer stunt has been launched.“This should never have happened. We’re a conservation and we can’t allow that to happen,” a staff member at the wildlife reserve told the BBC. “We don’t even allow people to go near the elephants.”
It added that the video would be handed to the “relevant authorities.” The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) is also investigating the incident.
Dr Winnie Kiiru, a Kenyan biologist and elephant conservationist, said the behaviour had endangered the elephant’s life.“About 95% of elephants in Kenya are wild and it is wrong to have social media posts that give the impression that you can get close to the elephants and feed them,” she said.
Ol Jogi Conservancy is home to around 500 elephants and is a leading reservation in rehabilitating orphans before releasing them into the wild.
This is the latest episode in a number of incidents where tourists have angered Kenyans over their treatment of animals. Last week a group of tourists were recorded blocking wildebeests at the Maasai Mara Reserve during their annual migration.
Visitors jumped out of safari vehicles and crowded the riverbank, leaving less than a meter of space between them and the animals. Some forced the wildebeest back into the crocodile-infested river.
Kenya’s Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife quickly condemned the incident and said they would take legal action against tour operators who flout park rules as well as increasing ranger presence at sensitive migration points.