Official Statement regarding the Giraffe Attack at Kuleni Game Park:
Issued by Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation Management
22 Oct 2022 at 11h30
As reported, a child was killed and her mother gravely injured during an attack by a giraffe at Kuleni Game Park in KZN, on Wednesday.
On Thursday it was widely stated in the International media that the Giraffe had been euthanized. We published an article on social media informing the public about the incident, and sharing the information we had access to at that stage.
During Friday the 21st of October 2022, we were inundated with calls from journalists requesting comments and interviews. In every case, we explained that we are not sure of the exact happenings at the game, and anything said about the actual incident is merely speculation.
Most of the interviews centered around what normally would happen to the animal during such incidents. We went on to explain what would typically happen in situations like this when a human attacks an animal.
We believe that every effort should be made to protect life, whether human or animal, and if it is an animal such as a giraffe attacking a human; it is not a normal occurrence, and there is no reason why the animal would need to be euthanized.
We categorically state that any statements we were quoted in to the contrary are blatantly false, and taken out of context.
While we spend our lives trying to better the lives of the Wildlife we are able to help, we find it incredibly disturbing that supposedly reputable international and local media could report happenings that are simply not true, all for sensationalism, and go one step further by taking our statements and using it out of context. We have been widely misquoted in the media as well.
We apologize for any negative outcomes as a result of what we were led to believe were the facts around this tragic incident.
We thank our loyal supporters who contacted us for clarification about our stance on this sensitive subject.
Once again, we reiterate our condolences to the family of the deceased.
* Statement Ends
For more information contact:
Carina Crayton (Co-Founder WHWF)
083 588 3550
Wildheartwf.info@gmail.com
Or
Paul Oxton (CEO/Founder WHWF)
072 478 1808
wildheartwildlife@gmail.com