In a rare incident of Giraffe attack, 16-month-old toddler crushed to death in South Africa

Johannesburg: A giraffe crushed to death a 16-month-old toddler in an eastern region of South Africa on Wednesday, police said, in a rare attack by the world’s tallest mammal. The attack occurred at a game farm around 270 kilometres (168 miles) northeast of the port city of Durban.

Police spokeswoman Nqobile Gwala told AFP that a 25-year-old mother and her 16-month-old daughter were attacked around 1400 GMT at Kuleni Farm in the Hluhluwe area ‘when they were trampled by a giraffe’.

She said the girl was taken to a nearby doctor’s practice ‘where she died’, while the mother was rushed to hospital for medical attention where she is in a critical condition. Police have launched an investigation into the incident.