An American tourist, Thomas Vardon McAfee has been killed by an
elephant in the Tanzania’s northern Tarangire National Park while
strolling outside the park’s boundaries last week.

McAfee, 58, was in the company of two friends when they encountered a
herd of 50 elephants outside the boundaries of the 1,096-square-mile
Tarangire National Park.

Latest reports from Tanzania National Parks said MacAfee was trampled
over by an elephant while trying to run away from a raging tusker.
The report said three tourists were viewing game on foot when they
stumbled upon a herd of about 50 elephants.

Sensing danger, the tourists ran to save their lives, but
unfortunately McAfee fell down and one of the tuskers trampled on him,
and pronounced dead while receiving treatment at a nearby dispensary.

It could not be immediately established whether the tourists were on a
guided walking safari in the expansive national park, which is famous
for huge elephant herds.

Reports said McAfee arrived in Tarangire and checked in at Tarangire
River Camp Lodge, which accommodates many foreign visitors.

Famous for big herds of elephants, Tarangire National Park is the
third national park attracting many tourists visiting Tanzania after
Serengeti and Mount Kilimanjaro national parks.

Tarangire stands among few protected wildlife parks in the world
hosting big numbers of elephants. Poaching of these African biggest
mammals has been frequently reported to hit the park, while efforts to
protect them have been put in place to increase their present numbers.

More reports from San Diego said Dr. Thomas McAfee was a regular world
traveler who had been to Africa several times and was aware of how
unpredictable elephants could be.

McAfee was set to assume a new job as chief executive of the Keck
Medicine of USC Medical Foundation in Los Angeles few days to come.