Giraffe attack: two in hospital

A giraffe that had recently given birth attacked Hoedspruit resident Katy Williams, 35, and her three-year-old son on Monday, a mere 150m from their home.

According to a statement from Blyde Wildlife Estate, where it happened, the woman’s husband, Sam Williams, saw her and their child being attacked at about 6pm. He managed to chase the giraffe away.

His wife and son were treated on the scene by Hoedspruit Medical Rescue and Dr Victor Loftie-Eaton. They were then transferred to a local airfield and the medical team worked on stabilising them while waiting for two helicopters to arrive from ER24.

The helicopters arrived later in the evening and the boy was airlifted to Busamed Modderfontein Hospital in Johannesburg.

His mother followed in the second helicopter.

An operation was performed on the boy during the early hours of Tuesday morning to release pressure on his brain due to injuries.

At the time of going to press, both mother and son were stable, but in a critical condition.

The manager of Blyde Wildlife Estate, Riaan Cilliers, confirmed the incident. “We are all in shock about this very sad incident,” Cilliers said.

He confirmed that the giraffe has a two-month-old calf, which might have had an influence on her behaviour.

Williams and his wife are both scientists with post-PhD experience in animal-related fields.

He said he regarded it as an unfortunate act of nature as the giraffe saw his wife and son as a threat to her newborn. – Hoedspruit Herald