GIRAFFE KILLS CAMERAMAN Wild at Heart filmmaker crushed by beast
A WILD at Heart cameraman died after a giraffe crushed his skull as he filmed in a safari park.
Carlos Carvalho, who helped shoot the hit ITV drama starring Stephen Tompkinson, died while filming close-ups of the wild animal at a South African game farm.
The bull giraffe, called Gerald, suddenly swung his head and butted Carlos, 47.
Yesterday the last photo emerged of the award-winning South African filmmaker as witnesses recounted the tragedy.
Focus puller Drikus van der Merwe said: “I was standing next to Carlos when the giraffe suddenly swung its neck and hit him on his head above his ear and sent him flying about four or five metres through the air.”
He said that the animal had initially seemed to be “inquisitive” with the crew shooting close-ups of its body and feet.
He added: “Then while Carlos was looking through the camera eyepiece, Gerald swung his neck and hit him against his head. It came out of nowhere. Carlos didn’t see it coming. He wasn’t aware of the danger.”
About five minutes before he was hit, Carlos had asked a friend to take a photo of him to send to his wife and children.
The tragedy happened at Glen Afric, a North West province game farm where tourists can pet wild animals. The crew were making German film Premium Nanny 2.
Carlos was airlifted to hospital in Johannesburg but died on Wednesday.
Dangerous
The South African game farm is best known in the UK as the location for the ITV series Wild At Heart. The show ran for seven series from January 2006 to December 2012. Carlos’s IMDB profile lists him as having filmed three episodes in 2009. Glen Afric said the giraffe would not be put down. A spokesman said: “He was not in the wrong. I don’t consider him to be a dangerous animal. He showed no malicious intent. He’s just a huge wild animal and the guy disobeyed safety regulations. I’m very sad for his family.” Carlos won awards including a Silver Lion at the Cannes Film Festival for a public service announcement for Childline.