German tourist trampled to death by elephant in Zimbabwe as she tried to take photo

Woman had moved in for closer look when the creature struck

'We do not know what irritated the animals which resulted in the woman being attacked' (AP)

A woman was trampled to death by an elephant as she tried to take a photograph of the animal in Zimbabwe.

Wildlife officials said the 49-year-old German tourist was attacked at the popular Mana Pool game reserve earlier this week. She later died from her injuries.

The woman was among a group of tourists who encountered a herd of elephants as they entered the park, said Tinashe Farawo, a spokesman for the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority.

He said she is exited the vehicle she was moving in to get a closer look and take pictures when the creature struck.

It remains unclear if her actions aggravated the animal.

“We do not know what irritated the animals which resulted in the woman being attacked,” Mr Farawo said.

Visitors are always warned to keep a safe distance from the wild animals when visiting the reserve, he added.

The killing is the latest by a wild animal in the southern African nation.

In 2017, a trained elephant trampled a tour guide in Victoria Falls, a tourist resort in the country’s west.

The elephant, called Mbanje, was shot and killed by rangers after the attack, which was described as “out of the blue” at the time.

In a separate incident, a man was killed as he tried to drive elephants into the open to take pictures.

Earlier in September, a local woman was trampled to death by an elephant along the Zambezi River near Kariba while walking from a nightclub with her boyfriend.