Scientist’s wife and young son seriously injured in giraffe attack
‘The community is in shock about this very sad incident and we assure the family that they are in our prayers’
THE wife and three-year-old son of a British scientist living in South Africa are in critical condition in hospital after being attacked by a giraffe near their home outside the town of Hoedspruit.
Dr Sam Williams, 36, was returning from a run in Blyde Wildlife Estate, in South Africa’s Limpopo province, when he saw his wife Katy, 35, and their son Finn being attacked on Monday by a female giraffe just 160 yards from their home.
Dr Williams chased the giraffe away, but not before his wife and child had sustained serious injuries. They were treated at the scene and then airlifted to Busamed Modderfontein Hospital in Johannesburg.
Finn was operated on early on Tuesday morning to relieve pressure in his brain due to injuries sustained in the attack.
Dr Katy Williams, who was born in the United States, was operated on early yesterday for multiple injuries.
Both mother and son were in a critical but stable condition, the family said in a statement, which added that they have “decided to take one day at a time and stay positive”.
“Dr Sam Williams would like to thank all doctors and medical personal from the hospital for their efforts to give his wife and son the best chance to heal,” said the statement, issued by Marina Botha, the Hoedspruit-based attorney representing the family.
Riaan Cilliers, the manager at the Blyde Wildlife Estate, confirmed the incident and said that the community was “in shock about this very sad incident and we assure the family that they are in our prayers”.
Both Katy and Sam Williams have doctorates and work in animal-related fields, the family statement said. It did not give more information about their careers in South Africa.
Cilliers said the giraffe had a twomonth-old calf, which Dr Williams said may have made the giraffe see his wife and son as a threat. He called the incident an “unfortunate act of nature”.
Hoedspruit is a popular tourist town not far from Kruger National Park and Blyde River Canyon.
An advertisement for property for sale in Blyde Wildlife Estate shows sweeping, multi-bedroom homes with private pools and verandas. It described the estate as a secure compound with a five-star gym and restaurant, with the “added privilege of viewing the roaming plains game from the privacy of their home”.
Though giraffes are herbivores and not generally considered to be aggressive toward humans, they are strong animals and can lash out unpredictably if they feel threatened. Residents and visitors to South Africa have previously had deadly run-ins with giraffes.
In May, a South African filmmaker died after a giraffe swung its neck unexpectedly and butted him on the game farm where the ITV series Wild At Heart was filmed.
In 2015, a man found dead next to his bicycle on a game reserve was believed to have been trampled by a giraffe, and in 2010, a 25-year-old woman was killed by a giraffe while out walking her dogs on a game farm in Limpopo province.