Giraffe Dies During Transport, Slams Head Into Highway Bridge
A horrific scene unfolded on a South African highway when a truck transporting two giraffes went under a bridge. The truck was traveling at highway speeds when one of the giraffe’s heads slammed directly into the overpass and subsequently died.
According to the Washington Post, a number of witnesses described the horrifying events as they unfolded on the highway that day. Witness Thinus Botha, of Pretoria, told the paper he had been following the vehicle, saw the giraffes, and thought, “Here’s something you don’t see every day.” Therefore, he pulled over to the side of the road and took some photos with his camera. Little did he know, those photos would be the last ones taken of the giraffe alive.
Social media horrified: Giraffe dies after hitting head on a bridge http://t.co/Bp3tn7Hxvf pic.twitter.com/vo7lNjnA4v
— RT America (@RT_America) August 1, 2014
In fact, the photo was taken just seconds before the giraffes went under the bridge seen in the photograph. Botha said that he heard an incredibly loud bang, so loud it was heard even though his windows were fully rolled up. Botha said the images he saw next were gruesome.
“Blood was coming from its nose and mouth.”
Botha then saw the truck pullover to the side of the road. However, at this point only one giraffe was standing and he knew the situation was not good. Another witness says she will be emotionally scarred for life after seeing the horrific event unfold before her. Pabi Moloi said she was behind the vehicle hauling the giraffes when the incident occurred. Moloi describes her recount of the giraffe’s tragic death and notes how incredibly loud the sound of the impact was when the accident occurred.
“The sound was so loud that my cousin, who was driving, asked me if there was someone shooting because she thought she’d heard a gunshot! That is how loud the impact was from the animal’s head smashing into the overhead bridge. … We saw in the rearview mirror that the truck had moved to side of the road and had stopped. Only one giraffe was still standing. The sound of a skull being hit and the force with which it threw the giraffes head forward is something I won’t easily forget.”
The giraffe had no way of knowing the demise that laid ahead, the giraffes had been blindfolded when they were placed in the flatbed truck. Therefore, the giraffe saw nothing prior to the accident.
According to Fox News, animal welfare officer Rick Allan said Friday that the accident on a highway between Pretoria and Johannesburg was very unsettling because it could easily have been avoided. He says charges are likely to be filed against those responsible under animal protection laws.
What charges do you think should be brought against the driver for the untimely death of the giraffe?
