A baby girl and her mother were crushed by a giraffe whilst visiting a safari park in South Africa (Picture:Getty/Kuleni Game Park)
A baby girl has died and her mother is fighting for her life after they were trampled by a giraffe in South Africa.
The pair were visiting Kuleni Game Park near Durban on Wednesday when they were suddenly attacked by the animal.
Both sustained catastrophic injuries during the horrifying incident.
The one-year-old baby, sadly passed away shortly after being rushed to hospital while her mother, 25, remains in a critical condition.
Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Nqobile Gwala told News24: ‘The child was taken to the nearest doctor’s room, where she died.
‘The mother was rushed to the hospital for medical attention. She is reported to be in a critical condition.’
Police are investigating the death.
According to its website, Kuleni Game Park is a former cattle ranch turned luxury safari resort ‘geared towards families, friends and couples.’
Giraffes can grow to 19 feet and weigh over a ton. (Credits: Paul Goldstein/SWNS)
The park promises to provide an extraordinary experience for guests keen to observe the ‘diversity of wildlife, flora and birdlife’.
It boasts that visitors can ‘enjoy close encounters with animals while walking or cycling the numerous trails’.
Activities on offer include turtle tours, boat rides, scuba diving, interacting with elephants and crocodile cruises.
But guests are warned to remember that the animals on sight are wild and therefore unpredictable, with Kuleni advising they keep a safe distance at all times.
The game park where a toddler was killed by a giraffe and mother critically injured (Picture: Kuleni Game Park)
Giraffes are the world’s tallest mammal and can grow to 19 feet and weigh over a ton.
They can become aggressive during the mating season and females will protect their young.
In 2018, a film director was killed after a giraffe crushed his skull during a shoot.
Carlos Carvalho, 47, was filming a giraffe in a safari park in Broederstroom, South Africa when it suddenly swung its neck and headbutted the director, sending him 16ft into the air.
The blow left him with devastating injuries and he was airlifted away from the park and taken to a nearby hospital, where he died following emergency surgery.
Drikus Van Der Merwe, who was part of the filming crew, said he was standing next to Carlos when he was attacked.
‘He started chasing the boom swinger who joined our unit,’ he said.
‘The giraffe followed him but we didn’t feel threatened because he just seemed to be inquisitive.
‘We started shooting close ups of its body and its feet. Then while Carlos was looking through the camera eyepiece Gerald [the giraffe] swung his neck and hit him against his head.
‘It came out of nowhere and Carlos didn’t even see it coming. He wasn’t aware of the danger.’
Prior to his death, Carlos had worked on many of the seven series of TV show Wild at Heart, which was broadcast between 2006 and 2012.
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The pair were visiting Kuleni Game Park near Durban on Wednesday when they were suddenly attacked by the animal.