A tourist believed to be from Germany was attacked by a bull elephant while taking photographs of a small herd of the giant animals on Saturday.

The tourist, who has not been identified, has curio vendors to thank after they employed bush tactics to scare away the herd by clapping hands. One man used a catapult to propel stones at a female elephant and its calf which forced them to lead the herd away.

Seeing that the female elephant and calf were walking away, the bull suddenly left the man.

The man was in the company of a woman believed to be his wife walking along a footpath from a local hotel  going towards the Rainforest at around 5PM.

Witnesses said the elephant lifted the man and threw him on the ground before trampling him.

zim live